Kingdom Hearts: Live or Die Part 4 - The Other Side
by krazykeybladegal
Summary: Continuing right after Part 3, Sora wakes up, lost and confused. He's in a strange world unknown to man. Once he learns that he is in the mysterious world of the Keyblade Realm, he sets off to find a way for him to return back to the real world. And. . . Wherever he is; does that mean that Riku is there too? (Other characters from games/ anime are in this other than KH characters.)
1. Chapter 1 - Joining Together

**Prologue**

"And you call yourself a Keyblade Master? Don't make me laugh. You're _weak. _You don't even _deserve_ to wield a Keyblade."

Sora struggled to get onto his hands and knees. "I'm not weak. . . And I'm not a coward either." He shook his head. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing this?! Because of you, Kiari's evil! If you ask me. . . You're the ones who don't deserve to wield a Keyblade!" he screamed.

"Big words for such a little brat," Kira laughed. She stepped away from him and held her Keyblade up into the air. "Come Joshua. To my Kavern." She smiled. "And see you soon, _Sota_."

He nodded and then held his Keyblade into the air as she did. A light shimmered around them and Then, in an instant, the both of them vanished into golden sparkles which melted away in the air.

"Where. . . Where'd they go?" Sora asked his father, wide-eyed.

"They went back to the real world," he answered. Then hesitantly, he added, "To declare the Keyblade War on the worlds."

**Day 22**

**Joining Together**

On the couch, the two brothers sat. They looked back and forth at each other and exchanged glances until they both realized that they were crying.

Their other brother in front of them sighed and then told them, "Can you stop crying already? I said that it's going to be all right. There's no need to continue weeping about what happened. Ryan proudly gave his life to protect all of us so the least you can do is try to act tough and proud of him."

"We don't care if he died in pride or in shame!" the boy with the ebony hair yelled.

The younger brother sitting next to him joined in. "We just want our brother back!"

"Stop fighting!" All three of the boys turned to see Emily staring at them. "That's enough. . . Just. . . Just stop. You should be trying to support each other. . . Not fighting. . . Amiamon please. . . I've seen enough fighting for today. . ."

The green-haired boy sighed. "Okay. I'm sorry," Amiamon apologized. "But still, Zack, Taylor, you have to be strong now. Ryan's gone, so what are you going to do now?"

Zack brushed some of his black hair out of his eyes. He shrugged. "I'm not sure. . ." He glanced at Taylor who was still sitting next to him. "We were wondering if maybe we could just stick with you. . . I mean, you still are our brother. . . Aren't you?"

Amiamon sighed. "You're already here anyway. Fine. I don't care if you stay with me." He smiled. "Brothers help each other." He turned to Emily. "Do you care if they stay here with us?"

Emily shook her head. "No. My father would have happily taken you in."

"Thank you," Zack said sincerely to the little girl. "I'm sorry about your father though. . ."

"It's okay. . ."

Taylor elbowed Zack in the ribs for mentioning the little girl's deceased father. "So um. . . Do we get our own rooms?"

"Sure. I'll show you you're room." Emily took Taylor's hand and led him away. Zack stood up from the couch and then paced over to Amiamon who was staring out the window.

"Do you think that Lamont and the others will come back for us?"

"They might. One of us will have to keep watch each night just in case. We can't fight them if they come, so we'll just have to keep moving if they try to track us down," Amiamon answered.

"They killed Ryan. . . And even Sanji and Savannah. They killed Sam too."

"I know that. . . Don't mention them around Emily. Her father's death troubled her enough. She doesn't need to be reminded about her cousins."

"Yeah. Poor kid. . ." Zack sighed. "Do you want me to take the first watch? You've been up all day and all night. You deserve the rest."

Amiamon nodded. "Yeah. . . Okay. . ." As he trailed into the house, Zack took Amiamon's place at keeping watch. He often found himself staring up into the sky. All he could think about was his older brother.


	2. Chapter 2 - Wakeless Dream

**Day 23**

**Wakeless Dream**

_"__For every soul that is lost on the battlefield, a Heaven or Hell is waiting for them. The choice is made by me whether you are a follower or the Light of a servant of the Darkness. Different people vary on the many places they can be sent, but for Keyblade wielders, they are sent somewhere special. It doesn't matter if the wielder of the Keyblade is innocent or evil, smart or dumb, young or old, they all end up in the same place. . . The Keyblade Realm. . . This place can be either a Heaven or a Hell, but it all depends on what you choose; your opinion can waver. Keyblades are scattered everywhere and you have one simple task if you choose to follow it through. Find your Keyblade and you will be given another turn at life. . . A second chance. . ."_

The world was spinning. Colors of every kind were mixed together, creating a pictureless blur. The only thing that he could feel was pain.

Sora sat up and gasped for breath. He choked at first and then finally was able to gather a breath full of fresh air to fill his lungs. He blinked and then glanced around.

Dark gray clouds covered the sky. A foggy mist was engulfing the area. There was no sign of Light anywhere. There wasn't any hint that the sun was lingering somewhere in the sky. Sora slowly got to his hands and knees. He looked left and then right. Nobody was in sight.

Standing up on his wobbly legs, Sora eyed the area once again. The ground was completely bare as was as far as he could see in the distance. Stretching his sore limbs, Sora thought about everything that happened.

_Where am I? Am I still alive. . ? If I am, then where the hell have I been taken? Where is everyone? _Sora advanced for a bit before he paused again. _You know. . . This is probably all just a dream. Yeah. . . That's what this is. It's a dream. But what kind of a dream is this? It doesn't matter. I guess I'm venture on until I wake up. . ._

Sora continued forward, glancing left and right. He kept hearing a strange noise that sounded like footsteps. He looked around. "Hello?" He heard his own voice echo across the empty air. "Is somebody there. . ?"

The footsteps grew louder and faster. Sora spun around in each direction until he saw a man running at him, a weapon in his hand. He instinctively summoned his Keyblade but before he could use it to fight back, the man shoved him forcefully to the ground and then began to struggle with him.

Sora was shaken by the sudden attack so wasn't very prepared to fight back. The Keyblade that he was holding flew out of his hand and then scampered across the ground. His attacker flipped him over and then slammed his foot down onto Sora's back so he couldn't get back up onto his feet. "H-Hey!" Sora stammered. "What the big~"

He fell silent when someone else spoke. "Is that one of them?"

Sora looked up to see a tall woman walking towards him. Her long hair fell just above her ankles and with each move she made red and orange danced through her brown locks. Her straight bangs just fell above her eyes. Her dark brown eyes were narrow and a cold smile rested on her dark red lips that were almost black. She wore a dark red v-neck; the sleeves just skimmed off of her shoulders, and a short mid-thigh. A slit adored each side. Her black boots were very high and came up at a point to guard her knees.

The man holding him down spoke. "No Kira. That one isn't either of ours."

Sora blinked. The man who was holding him down sounded familiar. When he looked up to get a glimpse at his attacker, he realized why. At first, Sora hoped that maybe the silvery blonde hair and height of the man was just a ruse, but when he saw the man's violet eyes, he knew right away who it was.

Joshua Capri.

The one who had killed his mother and his aunt.

And once he gave it more thought, he remembered something else. That was Kiari's father.

What was he doing here?

Sora's eyes skimmed over to the woman who was pacing around him. He knew that he had never seen her before, but just from her looks he could tell that she was somehow familiar. _Joshua called her Kira. . . Kira. . ._

_Kira. . ._

Sora's eyes widened. _Sota said that. . . Wait a second. . . That's Kiari's mom. . . They're supposed to be dead. . . Kira died in the war a long time ago. . . And Uncle Bardroy killed Joshua. . . What are they doing here? What __**is**__ this place?_

"If that Keyblade isn't ours then we have no use for that boy. Release him and send him on his way," Kira ordered. Joshua obeyed and then moved his foot away from Sora's back so he could stand. He extended his hand for Sora to take.

_Wait a minute. . . _Sora thought. _They don't know who I am. . . I may just get away from them yet. . . Just play it safe Sora. . . You can do this. . . _He took Joshua's hand and then let the man pull him to his feet.

Next, Joshua picked the Keyblade that Sora had dropped and then handed it to him. Sora paused when he went to take the weapon. He finally spoke to them out loud. "This isn't my Keyblade."

Joshua paused for a moment. "You don't know about this place do you? About the Keyblades?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? What about them?"

"Everyone here has the power to wield a Keyblade. Even so, the one that you possess when you wake up here isn't your own. You have to work to find it. And when you do, you get a second chance at life," Joshua explained. "That's why we attacked you. We just wanted to see if~"

"Joshua, skip the formalities," Kira hissed, grabbing his arm and beginning to drag him off. "Leave the brat to figure it out for himself. If the child was dumb enough to get himself killed, then I doubt he'll be able to find his Keyblade for himself. Leave him be." She began to pull him away.

Sora blinked a few times. _A second chance. . ? Everyone here has the power to wield a Keyblade? Wait, does that mean that Sanji, Savannah, Sam, and Lee could be here? What about Mom and Dad?_

Sora's pulse began to race. _What about Riku?_

Praying that his thoughts were correct, Sora went to walk in the opposite direction of Joshua and Kira. If they were here, there were others. He would just have to search. He didn't care how long it would take. He had to find his family and Riku. He had to make sure that they were there, and even if they weren't, he had nothing else better to do.

Just as he began walking, Kira's voice stopped him. "Wait a minute."

Sora froze. He turned back around and faced the man and woman. Kira was narrowing her eyes at him. "Do I know you?"

Sora shook his head. "No. . . I don't think so. . ."

"You look familiar. . ." She began to walk towards him. When she within a few feet of him, she smirked. "Wait. . . I think I know now." She slowly began to advance towards him again. "Perhaps you've heard of a woman named Sarah?"

Sora took a step backward when she took a step forward. He repeated the motion until he backed up against a large rock. He looked left and right, but before he could run, Kira placed a hand on his chest and pinned him there. She smiled. "What about a man named Sota? Sota Davidson, by any chance?" Kira stared deeply into his eyes. "Well?"

For some strange reason, Sora found himself nodding. He didn't know if his fear had reached it's limit or she was somehow making him answer. Either way, he didn't like the feeling he got when he was around her.

"Oh, so you do know them? Well. . . Sarah, I'm not too concerned about. . . But as for Sota," she licked her lips, "Do you think you can tell me where he is?"

Sora shook his head. "I-I don't know. . ."

"I think you do." Kira's charming smile turned into a disappointed frown. "But either way, it doesn't matter. You're coming with us. I'm sure that Sota will come running now that we have his son. Joshua, restrain him and bring him along. Now."

He seemed reluctant, but Joshua stepped forward, grabbed Sora by the arms, and then started to drag him along too. Sora struggled a bit but his fighting ceased when Kira gave him a few slaps to the face with her hand.

Even though he was being taken against his will, Sora knew one thing for sure. If Joshua and Kira Capri were looking for his father, then that meant that they thought he was here, wherever they were. And if he was there, so was the rest of his family. His mother and his siblings were there.

And so was Riku.

"Where do you think we are?" the blonde asked.

"I'm not sure. . ." Ryan answered. "This place doesn't look familiar at all. . . I have no idea where we even could be."

"You know. . ." Sanji paused. "You. . . You were dead. . . You died. . ."

Ryan stopped also. "I know. . . That's what I was thinking too. . . Do you think that we're in the afterlife or something like that? If we are, then that means that you. . ." His voice trailed off.

"Your brothers were in trouble," Sanji told him. "You saved me, so the least that I could do for you was to look after your younger brothers. I can tell how much they mean to you."

Ryan smiled thankfully. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that you protected them. If anything would have happened to them. . . I would have never forgiven myself. . ." He looked up towards the sky. "I hope they're all right. . ."

"Don't worry so much. They had to have learned something from you." Sanji put a hand on Ryan's shoulder and then smiled reassuringly. "They're fine. I'm sure. They aren't _that _stupid."

The two grinned and then started laughing. "Yeah. . . They. . . They aren't the smartest, but you've got to love them," Ryan admitted. A moment or two passed before Ryan did something that Sanji would have never imagined.

He hugged him. "Thank you. . . Thank you for saving them. Showing that you're willing to give your life for them even though you don't know them shows that you have a good heart and I respect that."

Sanji felt the heat come to his cheeks almost immediately. He shakily pulled away from Ryan and then smiled. He shrunk back, trying to hide the blush that was on his cheeks. "It was nothing. . . I was just helping out some friends. . ."

Ryan smile back at him, and as if realizing what he had just done, Sanji saw the redness starting to appear on his face as well. Ryan turned away from him, his voice cracking. "Uh. . . Well, maybe we can just walk around. . . Who knows, we could run into someone who knows where we are. What do you say?"

Sanji managed a nod. "Okay." He found himself falling into step next to the Thompson and then they both paused when they heard someone shout,

"Yo man! You's get your ass over 'ere now!" Out of nowhere, a very broad and tall man came charging out of the fog. He was probably four sizes larger than Sanji, but only twice the size of Ryan. Whatever the case, he was still one of the biggest brutes that the two had ever seen besides Flexis.

The man lunged and then shoved Sanji to the ground. The breath was knocked out of him as he hit the ground with a hard thud. He started throwing powerful punches at Sanji's face and torso. Instinctively, Sanji cried out and then curled up in a ball, placing his hands over his head to protect himself.

"Hey!" Ryan grabbed onto the back of the man's shirt and pulled him away from the skinny blonde. "Leave him alone!" He gave the man a punch to the gut but it didn't seem to do any good. Ryan was shoved away and then the man went back to beating on Sanji.

Sanji attempted to fight back but every time he tried to make a move, the man would disable him. He gripped Sanji's shoulders and then slammed him off of the ground a few times just before he locked a large hand around Sanji's windpipe. He held him off of his feet in the air and then started to shout out profanities. "You bastard, I'll teach you to~"

His voice was cut off by a woman who shouted, "Darren! Put him down! That's not him."

"You sure, yo?" The man frowned and then reluctantly lowered Sanji onto his feet and released the grip he had on the boy's neck. Sanji gasped for air once he got a chance and Ryan patted his back to help him breathe.

"You all right?" Ryan asked.

Sanji nodded. "I think so. . . But, as for who the hell this is, I have no idea."

The woman who had yelled finally approached the large man. It was amazing how she had stopped him with just a simple yell; she was a lot shorter than him and even more petite than Sanji. Her blinked her aquamarine eyes at the man beside her and said once again in a gentle tone, "That's not him Darren."

"And 'ow the 'ell do you know dat? He could have changed 'is looks," the man known as Darren muttered.

"That's not him. Trust me." The woman turned from Darren and then looked at Sanji and Ryan. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "My husband, he can be. . . Misled at some times. I hope that you forgive him. My name's Runea. I'm sorry for the trouble we've caused."

"It's fine ma'am," Ryan replied, sending a glare towards Darren. "I'm sure that you didn't mean it."

Runea nodded. "It was nice to meet you." She took her husband by the arm and then started to guide him away. "I told you that that wasn't Sota."

"Sure as 'ell looked like 'im, yo. But still, he's 'ere somewhere."

Sanji froze. His heart began to beat wildly in his chest. Just the mention of his father's name was enough to cause his composure to fall apart.

Ryan glanced at Sanji and then raised an eyebrow. He put his hands on Sanji's shoulder and forced him to look at him. "Are you all right? You seem tense."

"N-No. . ." Sanji stepped away from him. "I'm fine. . . Let's just get moving before some other jerk attacks us." Sanji began to walk off without even waiting for Ryan to catch up.

The woman sighed and leaned against a large rock. She put her hand up to her face and brushed away some of her curly blonde strands of hair. She bit her lip, not wanting to remember how long she had been stuck in the dark place known as the Keyblade Realm.

She longed to see her husband and daughter. It had been almost ten years, and she couldn't take one more minute of being alone. She wanted more than anything to see them again. The woman was just about to move on again when someone behind her spoke.

"Miranda?"

Her heart lurched to the side. As she turned around, she hoped that it wasn't who she thought it was. Her hope melted when her sky blue eyes locked onto green ones.

"Sota?" She spun around and looked him over. He looked exactly the same as he had all those years ago when she had last seen him.

A smirk was already plastered on his face. "You look as beautiful as ever." He advanced towards her. "It doesn't look like you've aged a day. . . And that makes me happy." His smile grew wider as he eyed her up and down. "You know. . ." Miranda went to back away but her back pressed against the rock behind and Sota pinned her down before she could move. "There's no one around. I can finally have my fun with you. . ."

"Sota. . ." Miranda put a hand on his chest and tried to push him away but he didn't budge. He was intent on getting what he wanted. "Please. . . Sota. . ."

He pushed his forehead to hers and their lips were only an inch away. "Come on. . . What Bardroy doesn't know won't kill him. . ." Sota breathed and then forced his mouth onto hers. He placed his hands on her shoulders and then made his way down her body.

Miranda finally jerked her mouth away from his and then used the last of her breath to scream. She prayed that someone would come running to rescue her, but she knew that her luck was limited.

"Come on Miranda!" Sota pouted playfully. "You know I won't hurt you. . . Not unless you struggle, that is."

"You bastard, get off of me! Help!"

"Shh!" Sota snapped, grabbing a fistful of Miranda's hair and jerking her head to the side to silence her. "Shut up!" His frown turned into a smirk. "We don't want to attract any attention, do we?" He pushed his lips firmly against hers, this time more violently.

Even though Miranda protested and struggled as much as she could, Sota refused to release her from his grip. The only time he pulled away was when someone came up behind him, spun him him around, and then planted a fist into his jaw. Before Sota could fall to the ground, the random stranger grabbed him by the shirt and then pinned him against the rock.

Miranda quickly stepped back from the two men. She wiped some of the tears that had found themselves in the corners of her eyes away and then gasped. She blinked rapidly and her mouth fell open at the sight of her husband. "B-Bardroy?!"

Sota glanced up at his brother. "Damn Bardroy, you look really intimidating right now. Have you always been this tall?"

"Skip the reunion," Bardroy hissed. "I always knew you were an asshole Sota, but this just crosses the line. I can see that you haven't abandoned that lust that you have towards my wife. . ." He shook his head. "You're sick you know that?"

"I'd prefer the word 'demanding.' There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a little fun everyone once in awhile. And who else better than my sexy sister-in-law?"

"Screw you Sota!" Miranda shouted.

"Anytime, Miranda. Anyti~" Sota's words were cut off by Bardroy's fist. Sota gave him a shove away and then summoned his Keyblade.

"Do you really want to fight me Bardroy?" he asked. "We can't die here."

"I guess that's a plus," Bardroy said, calling forth his Keyblade also. "At least you won't die when I take you down."

"I was going to say the same thing." The two brothers clashed and then began to fight relentlessly. It didn't take Bardroy very long to disarm his older brother and knock him onto the ground.

Sota looked up at Bardroy. "You've gotten better."

"I've always been better than you." Bardroy pointed his Keyblade at Sota and then shook his head, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "You're blood doesn't even deserve to stain my blade." He let his Keyblade disappear and then he turned his attention to Miranda.

She immediately threw herself into his arms and embraced him tightly. "I know that this isn't really a good place to be meeting again, but I've really missed you. . ."

"I know. . . I've missed you too. . ." Bardroy hugged her back and then pushed his lips to her. Sota snorted in disgust when it turned passionate.

Bardroy pulled away and then turned his attention back to his brother. "You know, instead of wandering around aimlessly, shouldn't you be looking for Sarah?"

Sota froze for a moment, as if the idea had just struck him. "Sarah. . . I guess that she would be here. . . Wouldn't she?" He held his one hand in front of his face, eying the Mark of Darkness that rested on his palm. "Where do you think she is?"

Bardroy shrugged. "How the hell am I supposed to know? Go look for her."

"I helped you find your wife. Now you can help me," Sota told him. "Please?

"You didn't help me find my wife. You tried to. . ." Bardroy sighed. "You know what. . . Never mind. . . Fine, but just because she's my sister-in-law. . ."

"I appreciate it."

The three were about to walk off when out of nowhere, a large man with jet black hair charged into the scene. If Bardroy hadn't grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the way quick enough, the man would have taken Miranda out. It seemed that Sota was his main target because he plowed him down onto the ground and then started to continuously punch him in the face.

It didn't take long for Bardroy to realize who the stranger was. "Darren?! What are you doing?!"

"I's gonna kill dis bastard yo!" Darren screamed. "'e killed Runea! I's kill 'im for that!"

"Another fight, huh?" The brunette sighed and then cracked her neck. "Well, I may as well go and join in. . . Who knows? Maybe this will be my lucky day. Maybe one of them will have my Keyblade. . ." The woman stretched her arms out and then paused. She recognized the voices that were speaking. And they were close by.

Darren.

Runea.

Bardroy.

_Sota._

Her blue eyes skimmed the area and she estimated where she thought the group was. When she figured it out, she quickly ran in that direction, praying that it was her friends.

"You know that you can't kill me here, Darren! I'm sorry for what I did, but it wasn't my fault!" Sota screamed at his old friend.

"I can damn well try to kill ya! You's deserves to die!" Darren yelled. He finally managed to wrap his fingers around Sota's neck and held him in the air. The blonde kicked his legs and struggled against the brute's grip, but nothing he did made a difference.

"Darren, please. . . I already said that I'm sorry. . . Let me go. . . Plea~" Sota's voice was cut off when Darren squeezed his windpipe even harder and cut off his air supply completely.

"Darren! Please! Stop!" Runea shouted once again. Bardroy was trying to calm him down also but it wasn't working quite well at all.

"Why do you think that woman screamed earlier? I wonder what was happening. . ?"

"Don't worry about it, Savannah," her younger sister told her. "We don't need to get involved."

"I know. . . I just hope that we don't run into any trouble soon."

"Nothing will happen. As long as we keep moving, we should be all right. We just have to find someone who can tell us what's going on," Sam said.

"Wait a minute. . . There's some people walking towards us. . ." Savannah gasped and happily raced ahead of her sister. "Sanji! Ryan!"

The two men came to a standstill. While Savannah threw herself into Ryan's arms, Sam hugged Sanji. "Thank god that you're okay!" Savannah cried. "I thought you and Sanji were both goners!"

"We were actually. . ." Ryan pulled away from her and then continued to speak. "Sanji and I think that this may be where we go after death."

"Really?" Sam looked around the area, amazed. "Then that means that we all. . . We're all dead, huh?"

Savannah nodded. "I suppose so."

"Did anyone see Sora?" Sanji asked.

"Lee?" Savannah shook her head. "No, I didn't."

"Not that bastard. I meant the other one," Sanji grumbled.

"I didn't see him either. . ."

"Lee would be here, but if Sora's still out there then he wouldn't be here," Sam pointed out.

Savannah shrugged. "I guess he was still alive before I died. I wonder if he got away or not. . ."

"We'll have to search around a bit if we're set on figuring it out. We can stick together from now on," Sanji said.

Savannah smiled and then took Ryan's hand. "Shall we go then?"

Sanji had to hold back his cuss. "Yeah, okay."

The boy with the long silver hair fell to his knees when his brother approached him. "Eric. . . What are you doing here? You're supposed to be. . ."

"I know that you're probably confused. . ." The older but shorter boy held out his hand. "But, if you come with me, then I can explain everything to you." He smiled kindly. "What do you say, Riku?" The seventeen-year-old sitting on the ground took the extended hand and stood up. Riku smiled. "Sure. You are my big brother, after all. Right Eric?"

"Sota!" the woman screamed, running towards the group of five. "Darren! What are you doing? Put him _down_!"

The brute turned his attention to the brunette who had taken a grip on his arm. "Yo Sarah? What's you doin' 'ere?"

"Why are you choking my husband!?" Sarah retorted.

"Dis bastard deserves to be killed yo! 'e killed Runea!" he replied in an angry tone.

"Just put him down! We'll discuss everything when you stop acting like a monster!" Sarah yelled. "Act civilized for once!"

Darren grumbled something and then let Sota drop to the ground. The blonde rubbed his red throat and gasped for breath. He slowly got to his feet and then looked over at his wife. Before he could even smile at her, she gave him a firm slap across the face that made him stagger back and bump into Bardroy. Putting his hand on his cheek, he muttered, "I should have expected that. A simple 'hello' would have sufficed."

"Hello." Sarah's tone was full of sarcasm.

Sota frowned and rubbed his cheek again. But then, something happened that surprised him even more than the slap. Sarah stepped over to him, kissed him sweetly, and then hugged him. "As much of an idiot that you can be. . . I still really missed you. I hope that we never have to part for that long again."

Sota wrapped his arms around his wife and gave her a tight hug back. "I'm sorry for everything that I put you through. I couldn't protect you. . . But I'm glad that you're here now. You couldn't possibly understand how much I needed you over the pass few years."

"And I to you." Sarah pulled away from him and then her smiling face turned into a serious one. "How are the kids? Where are they?"

When Sota didn't answer, he expression turned into a grave one. "Sota? Tell me. . . They're okay, right?"

"Define okay. . ." Bardroy and Miranda grumbled in unison.

Sarah turned to her brother and sister-in-law. "What do you mean?"

"Care to explain the details Sota?" Bardroy folded his arms. "I'm afraid that I don't know all of them for myself."

"I don't know what you're talking about. . ." Sota's gaze was coming out a pair of narrowed green eyes.

"Don't play dumb with us, Sota," Bardroy continued. "I already know that you dumped Sanji and Savannah off in an orphanage. Which, might I add, was actually a science lab full of lunatic scientists."

Sarah's expression was full of horror and disbelief. Before she could even react, she paused to hear what Miranda had to add. "Lee ran away too. You never did go and look for him, did you?"

"I don't know how, but somehow, Lee's still alive. And he was with Joshua last time I saw him," Bardroy added.

Sarah gasped. "Sota! What did you do!?"

"Oh come on Sarah! That's not so bad," Sota told her. "Don't get mad at me, please."

"Oh it's too late for that!" Sarah boomed. "You're lucky I don't strangle you!"

Sota flinched at her words.

"I can't believe that you got rid of Sanji and Savannah! At an _orphanage_!No, correction, at a freaky _science lab_! How could you do that to them!? And Lee ran away! What did you possibly do to Lee to make him run off!? Answer me!? When did all of this happen!?"

Bardroy thought for a moment. "About twelve years ago. Just after you died."

Sarah looked over at her husband and exploded again. "How could this happen!? I always knew that something like this would happen! But how!?"

"I told you that you shouldn't have left. . ." Sota lowered his head. "I messed up, all right? But don't worry, I have Sora getting everyone together. There's nothing to worry about."

"Why could you just have gotten them together yourself? Can't you do anything right?"

"I'm sorry all right. . . I vowed to kill Joshua and I got sidetracked. . ." Sota sighed. "I know that I shouldn't have given into vengeance, but I just couldn't control myself. . ."

"Did you get your revenge?" Sarah asked, her voice growing more softer. She knew how hard it was to let go of revenge and that was one thing that she couldn't yell at her husband for. That was the whole reason she ended up at the world known as the Keyblade Realm.

"No. . . I didn't. . . And that pisses me off. . ." Sota clenched his fists.

"There's no need for you to get your revenge," Bardroy cut in. "I already took Joshua down."

Sota looked up at his brother. "You did? When?"

"Just a few days ago. He killed Miranda, and for that I made him pay."

"I told you that I was the one who was going to kill Joshua!" Sota yelled. "How could you take that chance away from me!?"

Bardroy folded his arms. "You went and got yourself killed. I was just finishing what Joshua started. He deserved to die. He was vulnerable and I took that chance. If anything you should be congratulating me for taking down such a strong opponent."

"Oh yeah? Why should I be happy when you took my destiny?! _I_ was supposed to kill him, not _you_!"

"Stop it!" Miranda shouted, causing the two of them to fall silent. "The truth is that Joshua's dead and that's that. If we're all here then chances are that he's here too. We'll just have to hope we don't run into him, and if we do, then Sota, you can have your chance then."

"But he can't die here!" Sota protested.

"That's a problem you'll have to figure out for yourself," Miranda told him. "No one here is going to help you obtain your petty revenge since he's already dead. Might as well give it up."

"No." Sota shook his head. "I'll never give up my hatred toward Joshua. He deserves to be hated by everyone. He deserves to be~"

"That's enough." Everyone was shocked to see that the words had some from the petite blonde. Runea sighed and continued. "We're not accomplishing anything by fighting. Right now, we should be trying to figure out why we're here and everything else that needs to answered."

The six adults looked at each other and then Bardroy finally spoke. "Runea's right. If we're planning on getting anything figured out, we have to work together. What do you say? It'll be just like old times."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry. . . It's just that so much has happened. . . I never thought that I would see you guys again. . ."

Runea was already wiping tears from her eyes. She quickly stepped over to her friend and wrapped her arms around her. "I missed you Sarah. I never even knew that you died. . ."

"I missed you too. . . I never knew that you died either."

Darren's eyes slid over to Sota's green ones. "Runea wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for you, yo."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"This bastard killed Runea. I've only said it 'bout a 'undred times already," Darren grumbled. "Can I's kill 'im now?"

"You killed Runea?" Sarah turned to Sota, question filling her eyes. "But how? Why?"

"It wasn't him," Bardroy told her. Out of all the crimes Sota was guilty for, Runea's death was not one of them. "Kira possessed him and forced him to kill her."

"Yo man, is dat true?" Darren asked, wide-eyed.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Sota yelled at his best friend. "But you're so damn stubborn Darren that you wouldn't even listen to me!"

"Yo man. It ain't my fault yo. Jus' mad, that's all."

"You always get mad, you know that?" Sarah huffed. "That's a relief, though," she sighed afterward. She looked up at Sota and smiled. "I knew that my Sota would never do anything cruel like that."

"Continuing with the theme of what's going on," Sota began, ignoring Sarah's comment, "does everyone know why we're here?"

"Hold that thought." Bardroy silenced all of them. "Someone's coming."

"I could have swore that I heard Uncle Bardroy talking just a second ago. . . If this is the afterlife then I guess he would be here because he was killed by Lamont. . ." Savannah said.

"Let's just keep moving. . . We're bound to run into some~" Sanji froze whenever he heard voices coming from just in front of them. Indeed, he could recognize his uncle's among them, but one of them stuck out. His pulse quickened and his body grew rigid.

"He's with some other people. . ." Sam told the group.

"Wait. . . That's. . ." Savannah smiled and shouted, "Dad!" Sam's curiosity got the better of her and she followed her older sister.

Sanji stood frozen. He couldn't even find the strength to move.

His father was _there. _

He swallowed and then took a small step back. He paused when he bumped into Ryan. The Thompson boy blinked. He could sense the change in Sanji's attitude. "Are you okay?"

Sanji slowly shook his head. "I can't be here right now. . . He'll see me. . ."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. He could infer that the blonde was talking about his father but he wondered why his composure had changed into one full of worry and fright. "It's just your Dad. . ."

Sanji's eyes darted toward Ryan as he said, "You don't understand. . . He _can't_ see me. I _don't_ want to be stuck with him again." He clutched his one arm and then pulled away from Ryan when he put a hand on his shoulder. "Just stay away from me!" And with that, he ran off.

"Wait!" The larger boy chased after him until he finally was able to outrun him. He took Sanji by the shoulder and forced him to look at him. "What are you doing? Your sisters are back there. . . And apparently, so is your father."

Just the mention of the last word, Ryan could feel Sanji start to tremble in his grip. "What's wrong? You should be happy to see your family again."

Sanji turned away from him and went to walk off. "You could never understand. You don't know what I've been through. You don't know~" At the last moment, Sanji tripped. He grabbed onto Ryan to prevent himself from falling but since he was caught off guard, both the Thompson and Davidson fell to the ground. The only thing Sanji succeeded in doing was pulling Ryan down so he was lying on top of him.

Ryan used his hands to prop himself up so he was just hovering over Sanji. The skinny blonde was looking up at him, his eyes wide. The two found each other smiling at each other. "Sorry," Ryan apologized. "I should have been paying more attention. We wouldn't have fell if. . ." He fell silent. Whatever feeling he was getting in his heart was one that he had never experienced before. A warm sensation was coming over him and he couldn't understand why.

He smiled again at Sanji before he awkwardly started to get up. He got onto his feet and then extended his hand for Sanji to take. Taking Ryan's hand and getting back onto his feet, Sanji turned away from him. He was trying to hide his blush.

"So. . . Um. . ." Ryan had to turn his attention away from the blonde for a moment so he could will his blush to disappear. Once he was sure that it was gone, he looked back at Sanji. "M-Maybe we should head back to where your sisters are. It's only a matter of time before they realize that we're gone."

Sanji's eyes slid towards the ground. He shook his head slightly and gripped his arm. "No. . . I can't. . ."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to. . ."

"I can tell that you have something against your father. You cower and tremble even if I just mention him. I'm usually not one to pry, but what happened between you two? I'm curious about it."

Sanji looked up at Ryan who had his arms folded. "It doesn't concern you," he told him. "And besides, nothing happened anyway."

Ryan frowned. "Yeah right. I can tell by how you act that there's something messed up with your rela~" He silenced himself and at that moment, both him and Sanji turned to the boy who was staring at them.

His brown hair was billowing in the eerie breeze that always seemed to blow and he blinked his blue eyes at the two. The look on his face was one of confusion and wonder, but then his eyes narrowed and then he frowned familiarly. He took a step towards them and then pulled his foot back, as if wondering where he should go.

Sanji blinked a few times. A guilt was rising in his heart. "Lee. . ." he breathed. "Where are you go~"

Lee shook his head and then ran off in the other direction. Just as he disappeared into the fog, Ryan shouted, "Lee! Wait!" The Thompson ran after him.

"Ryan!" Sanji looked in the direction of where Savannah and Sam were and then turned back to where Ryan had run off to. He shook his head and then raced after Ryan and his deceased brother, wondering all the while about why they were there.

"Savannah?!" Sota was just as surprised as everyone else to see that his daughter had come out of nowhere and forced him into a tight embrace. He wasn't quite sure that if the stranger was his daughter or not; being that it had been twelve years since he had parted ways wither, but when he saw her deep emerald green eyes, he knew that it was her. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing! I've missed you Dad!" She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. Sota blinked a few times and then wrapped his arms around his daughter. He was surprised to see her even taller than him now.

Bardroy was about to ask her something when Sarah almost plowed him down. "Savannah?" The brunette turned towards the woman who had said her name. Her silky brown hair was pulled into a ponytail that was hanging over her right shoulder. Her stunning blue eyes blinked rapidly. Savannah cocked her head and then realized how much the woman reminded her of herself. She raised an eyebrow and then questioned, "Mom?"

Sarah had tears in her eyes. "Savannah. . ." She quickly stepped over to her daughter and pulled her into a hug. A tear rolled down her cheek as she said, "I've longed for the day where I could see you again. It's been so long. . . You've grown up to be a beautiful young woman. . ."

"Savannah?" When everyone turned to see Sam, they paused.

"Sam?" Bardroy began. "You're here too. . ?"

"Samantha. . ?" Sarah's eyes became even more wet with tears. "Sam!" She pulled the blonde into her hug and squeezed her two girls tightly. "Oh my girls. . . I've longed for the day for us to meet again. . ."

It didn't take Sam long to realize that the woman who was hugging her was her mother. She accepted the hug willingly and happily squeezed her mother back.

Sarah finally released them and then smiled. "I finally met my girls, now where are my boys?" She looked around, hoping to see one of her sons. "Where's Sanji?"

"Oh right," Savannah remembered. "He's over that way." She pointed out into the fog where they once were.

"Why didn't he come over here?" Sarah asked, looking in that direction.

Savannah furrowed her brow. "I don't know. . ."

"You ran off so suddenly that they probably didn't even process what was going on," Sam told her. "You could have warned them."

"Sorry. . ." Savannah apologized. "I saw Dad and just forgot about everything else." The brunette looked over at her father and smiled.

"_'They'_?" Sota questioned. "Is someone else with you?"

Savannah nodded. "Yeah. His name's Ryan. He's so handsome. . . I love it when I'm around him. . ." She sighed dreamily.

Sarah smiled while Sota frowned. "Well sweetheart, you can introduce me to him when we meet him. I'm sure he's as charming as you say."

Sota cracked his knuckles and flexed his fingers. "I'll be the judge of that. . ." he muttered under his breath. "Wait a minute. . . Isn't Ryan one of them Thompson boys?"

Savannah nodded.

"What of it?" Sam asked.

"Those bastards were the ones who killed me." Sota folded his arms. "I'll be damned if my daughter is hanging around a killer."

"Don't worry Dad," Savannah told him. "I already solved the problem with that. Kiari was forcing them to do that, and he only obeyed so he could protect his brothers."

"Well, I still don't like it. I'm not believing that."

"Oh Sota, don't be stupid." Sarah waved her hand around. "I'm an excellent judge of character and I'll decide if he's innocent or not."

Sota rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

"Let's go," Savannah said, pointing to where Ryan and Sanji supposedly were. She grabbed her mother and father's hand and then dragged them off. The rest of the group looked at each other, shrugged, and then followed.

"Lee!"

Sora's head snapped up. The voice calling out for someone was familiar. It almost sounded like Sanji. . .

No, it _was _Sanji.

Although the voice was distant, he knew that if he called out for help that it was most likely that he'd be heard. "Sanji! Help!"

When Kira whipped around, her long hair followed. "Joshua, silence him!" Joshua seemed reluctant at first but be placed one of his hands over Sora's mouth.

Sora narrowed his eyes at Kiari's father and then dug his teeth into the flesh of Joshua's hand. The violet-eyed grunted and pulled his hand away. "Sanji! Sanji! Help! I'm over here!" He yelled as loudly as he could, hoping that he would get an answer.

Kira muttered a few curses and then stepped over to the sixteen-year-old in her high-heeled boots. She grabbed a fistful of Sora's spiky hair and jerked his head upward. "Shut up you little brat! I won't hesitate to break your neck!" She kneed him in the gut and then kicked him in the side a few times once he'd crumpled to the ground.

"You know," Joshua began, "Sota won't like it if you beat up his son. What makes you so sure that he'll accept you after he figures that out?"

Kira paused for a moment. "Sota likes to torture people just as much as I do. Quit trying to protect the boy. Because if I find out that's what you're trying to do, then I'll hurt you instead."

"It's not like you don't anyway, bitch."

"Joshua!"

Sora was getting onto his hands and knees when he saw Kira give her husband a hard slap across the face. She shoved him away from her and then the two of them began to shout profanities at each other.

The spiky-haired boy sent a glare at Kira and then she looked over at him. She smiled and said mockingly, "You almost look intimidating when you frown like that."

Sora frowned. "Piss off." He was just as surprised as she was at what he had said. Anger made you say a lot of regrettable things at random.

Kira smiled, but this wasn't a pleasant smile. This was one full of hatred and power. She ignored Joshua when he said, "Kira, wait. . . Remember what I said~"

"I don't give a shit about what you said." She looked over at him. "When have I?" Her narrow eyes slid back over to Sora. "This boy needs to be taught a lesson. He obviously doesn't fear me as much as he should and that's a big mistake." Her fingers slid to her side where she pulled off her whip. She uncoiled the spiraled leather and then stretched a part of it in her hands. Sora was almost positive that he had heard Joshua gasp from behind her. "Maybe this will teach you a lesson."

Just as Kira held up the whip and Sora braced himself by crossing his arms across his face, the voice called out again. "Lee! Where are you!"

Kira sighed, frustrated. "Damn that voice. It's annoying me." She wound up the whip and then turned back to her husband. "Joshua, restrain this boy while I go take care of it. He'd better be here when I come back or you can call yourself dead."

"We're already dead, _dear_," Joshua replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"I'll find a way." Kira marched off.

"Lee!" Sanji shouted once again. He joined in on the search for his younger brother.

Ryan sighed sadly. "Where'd he go. . ?"

"I'm not sure. . ." he shrugged.

"Excuse me?"

Sanji and Ryan turned around. A woman was walking over to him. Her extremely long hair blew behind her in the wind. Both boys couldn't dismiss the fact that she was beautiful beyond belief. "Why all the shouting?" she asked.

"Did we disturb you?" Ryan asked. "If we did, then sorry ma'am."

"No," the woman answered, shaking her head. "I was just curious."

"I'm looking for my brother," Sanji told her. "He's almost as tall as you and has brown hair and blue eyes. Have you seen him?"

Kira thought for a moment and then shook her head. "No. I haven't."

"Oh, okay. Sorry to bother you," Sanji apologized, taking Ryan's arm and then starting to drag him off. "Well, good-bye."

Kira narrowed her eyes and thought for a minute. The guy in front of her had a striking resemblance to her Sota. "Hold up for a minute."

The woman's words made Sanji and Ryan pause. They turned towards her. "Yeah?"

When Kira caught sight of Sanji's emerald green eyes, she knew exactly who she was looking at. "Hey. . ." She smiled and then started to step towards him. "You're kind of familiar. . . Do I know you?"

Her dark brown eyes skimmed him over and then locked onto his. She stepped past Ryan and ignored his words, only focusing on Sanji. "You remind me of a man I know. His name is Sota. . ." When she saw the change in Sanji's expression, she knew that his similar appearance wasn't just a coincidence. He knew Sota in some way.

"Hey, miss. . ." Ryan frowned darkly when he saw her corner Sanji. "Ma'am. . ." He stomped over to her and took her gently but firmly by the shoulder and turned her towards him. "If you have anything to ask, you can ask _me_."

Kira narrowed her eyes. "I'm not talking to you." She looked away from him but Ryan didn't take no for an answer. When he went to spin her around, she gave him an elbow to the ribs and knocked him to the ground.

Ryan clutched the spot where she had hit him, knowing that it was going to bruise badly. The wind was knocked out of him and he was having trouble regaining it. For a woman, he had to admit, she was _strong. _He regretted misjudging her.

Kira turned back to Sanji. Now that the other boy was out of the way, she could have her way with the blonde. "As I was saying. . ." She pinned him down and stared at him, a smirk on her face. She blinked and then said softly, "If you help me, I can help you. . . Tell me, where's Sota?"

He opened his mouth to speak but then promptly closed it. "I don't know. . ."

Kira tilted her head. "You don't?" She ran a hand down Sanji's cheek and then brushed some of the bangs out of his face. "If you're who I think you are then I know that you know where he is. . . Tell me. Please Sanji?"

Sora was trying to get to his feet when he felt Joshua's arms lock around him chest and then then help him up. He placed the boy on his feet and then, before Sora could even question, said that sounded more like an order, "Get the hell out of here. Run as fast as your legs will carry you."

The sixteen-year-old didn't hesitate. Within seconds, he was looking over his shoulder, watching as Joshua's form disappeared into the fog. As he ran, he wondered, _Why did Joshua help me? He seems to be a lot more merciful and nicer than Kira. . . Do you think. . ? I wonder if. . . maybe he's actually. . . Actually a good guy. . ? _Sora shook his head and then focused on the path he was headed. _I have to get out of here. I have to get away from those two. Sanji. . . I know I heard him and someone else. Where did they go? Whatever the case, I have to find them. . ._

Sora ran and ran until he found himself charging into a group of people. He yelped in surprise and then was sent to the ground when he accidentally ran into someone who was almost three times bigger than him in length and width.

"Yo! Some crazy kid jus' ran into me!" the man shouted to his companions as if they were miles away from him. "Who da 'ell are you?!"

"No shit Darren. We're right here," another man groaned. "Keep your voice down to a damn minimum. We don't need you attracting any unwanted attention. Can't you pretend like your normal for once?"

"Shut the 'ell up Bardroy!" Darren snapped. "You's got no say!"

"Actually, I have just as much say as you."

"I'll slug ya, yo."

Sora took a large breath of fresh air so he could breathe; running into the man in front of him had knocked the breath out of him. He looked up at the man towering over him. He was almost positive that he had never seen the man before, but something about him was sticking out. Then he realized that he was looking at Riku's father. The picture that he had seen at Bardroy's house proved that it was him.

It was only when someone said Sora's name did he notice all of the other people standing around him. He blinked rapidly when he saw his sisters, uncle, and father. "Dad. . ? Uncle Bardroy. . ? Savannah and Sam. . ? What are you doing here. . ? I thought you you were all. . ." His voice trailed off when his father finished for him.

"Dead? Well, we actually are, but we'll be explaining that soon." Sota extended his hand and Sora took it. "You all right?" Sora nodded. Before Sota could say more, Sora stepped closer to him and gave him a tight hug. "I'm sorry Dad. . . I tried. . . I tried to get everyone together but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't defeat Kiari either. . . I'm too weak. . ." Sora's eyes fell downward towards the ground.

"Sora, pull yourself together. As far as I'm concerned, you got farther than I did in twelve years." Sota used his finger to lift Sora's chin. "Cheer up."

Sora smiled slightly. "I tried. . ."

"Sora. . ?"

The sixteen-year-old turned to the voice who had said his name. He blinked at his mother who was staring at him with her big blue eyes. Tears were moistening them. She opened her arms and Sora jumped into them willingly. "Sora. . ." Sarah bit her lip, tears falling down her cheeks. "I've missed you so much. . . I'm sorry for not being there for you. . . My little Sora. . ." She embraced him tightly and then finally pulled away.

Sora smiled at her and quickly wiped some tears away from his eyes. "Mom. . . Don't cry. . . It's okay. . . We're together now. . ." Before he knew it, he was hugging her again. "Why'd you have to go?"

"I'm sorry. . . But like you said, we're together now and everything's going to be all right."

Runea was standing off to the side with her husband, Bardroy, and Miranda. Savannah and Sam were standing over by their father. Runea brushed tears away from her face. "Oh gosh. . ." she cried. "This. . . This is heartbreaking but so happy at the same time. . . I'm so happy for Sarah and her children." She buried her face into her hands and started to cry. "I can't wait to see our children again. . ." she continued, looking up at Darren. "Riku and Eric are out there somewhere. . . Out in the real world. . . We're going to have to track them down whenever we get back. . ."

"Ya got that right, yo," Darren nodded. For once, he was agreeing with someone. "I wonder what they've been up to yo."

Miranda was wiping a tear away from her eye. "I'm glad that those children got to finally meet their mother. I don't trust them with Sota at all." She sighed and then a sudden realization came over her. She turned to Bardroy quickly, her eyes widening. "What about Emily?" She took her husband by the shoulders and gave him a slight shake. "How is she? Where is she? Is she all right?"

Bardroy was silent for a few moments. "That. . . I'm not too sure about. . ."

Miranda's heart sank deeply. "What do you mean. . ?" The worst possible outcomes were starting to fill her mind.

"I was killed before I saw what happened. . . I don't know what's happened to her." Bardroy clenched his fists. "If I wouldn't have been caught off guard then maybe I could have gotten her to a safer place. Those bastards aren't merciful. . ." His voice trailed off when he saw that his wife was trembling. She was fighting back tears.

"You don't think. . ? But Bardroy. . ."

Bardroy cursed himself for what he said knowing that he had definitely scared his wife. "You know what. . . I'm sure she's fine." He pulled Miranda into his arms and stroked her hair. "She's smart, just like the both of us. She knows what she's doing." He smiled and then continued, "She's like a mirror image of you, you know?"

Miranda smiled back at him. "It has been ten years. . . But if recall correctly, she did have your eyes."

"She does. She's always wanted to meet you, and now that we have a second chance, she finally can."

"I'd like that."

"Where did you come from?" Savannah asked Sora. "Sanji and I didn't know if you were here or not. . . So I guess this kind of answers our question."

"What even is this place?" Sora questioned.

"We'll explain that it just a moment." Sarah looked around. "Where's Sanji and Lee?"

Sora blinked and then remembered. "I heard Sanji calling out Lee's name around here somewhere." Then he recalled the Capri's. "Oh yeah! Mom, Dad, Kira and Joshua Capri are over that way!" He pointed to where he had come from. "They had me with them and were dragging me along with them. Kira said that she was looking for you, Dad."

Bardroy rolled his eyes. "That damn slut just needs to keep her hands to herself." He turned to Sota who was once again staring hungrily at Miranda and then hissed, "And you for that matter!"

Sora blinked. "Aunt Miranda?"

Miranda quickly leaned over to Bardroy and whispered, "Which one is that?"

"The one Sota referred to as the _decoy_," Bardroy answered back quietly. "His name's just Sora."

"Okay." She turned to Sora. "Hi there. Yeah. . . I guess I'm your aunt too."

Sora smiled at her and then whispered to his father, "She's really pretty Dad."

Sota sighed. "Tell me about it."

"Sanji's over there?" Sarah eyes lit up. "Come on everybody, let's keep going!"

Kira ran her hand along Sanji's cheek gently. She smiled and asked again, "Where's Sota?"

"I don't know. . . I really don't. . ." Sanji couldn't' think of anything else to say. He honestly didn't know nor did he care about where his father was. He was the last person he wanted to see.

Kira's gentle expression turned into one with narrowed eyes and a frown. "Well?"

Sora pointed ahead and shouted, "Over there!"

Kira turned around and muttered a curse, seeing that Joshua had failed and let the boy escape. She summoned a Keyblade and then watched as the rather large group appeared from out of the fog.

Sanji attention was turned away from Kira and onto the group also. Ryan was getting onto his feet. He quickly took Sanji by the hand and then dragged him away from Kira. "You all right?" he asked, sighing afterward. He knew that was probably the fifth time he had asked within the last few hours but he just couldn't think of anything better to say.

Sanji was just about to nod when he caught a glimpse of the group and froze. Aside from seeing Darren and Runea; the two who had attacked he and Ryan earlier, three of his siblings, his uncle and aunt, and his father, there was another woman in the group that made his heart completely stop beating for some time. He stared at her, wondering if she was a figment of his imagination or not.

Ryan followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at a woman who had smooth brown hair and bright blue eyes. She looked an awful lot like Sora and Lee. Looking from the woman to him, Ryan wondered, _Is that Sanji's mother. . ?_

The adults of the group were the first ones to act. They all summoned their weapons and were immediately ready to face Kira who was staring at only one of them. "Sota," she smiled. "It's been too long." She took a step towards them and they all pointed their weapons at her.

"Don't come any closer," Sarah threatened. She had her eyes locked on Kira, a hatred filling them.

Kira frowned. "I have nothing to say to you Sarah, other than you're a witch." She smiled as she looked over at Sota. "I've missed you. . ." She motioned for him to come over to her with her finger.

No one moved at first, but then Sota took a small step forward. Realizing that Kira was trying to lead him into another trance, Bardroy put a hand on Sota's shoulder and then spun him around roughly. "Hey, snap out of it!"

Sota blinked and then shook his head. "Damn it. . . Not again," he muttered.

"Isn't there any way for you to fight it?" his brother asked.

Sota shook his head. He eyed the Mark of Darkness on his palm and then sighed, "I have too much Darkness in my heart to resist."

Sarah touched Sota's arm. She looked at him and smiled, "Don't worry. If anything happens and she possesses you, I'll do everything in my power to try to and get you back. You can believe in me."

Sota smiled at her. "I know you would."

Kira was frowning. She sighed and then brushed some of her bangs out of her face. "Why do you always have to interfere. I hate all of you so much. Well, all of you except my precious Sota." She smiled at him.

"Yo man! That fine yo 'cause we's already 'ate ya! You's jus' a B-I-T-C-H! A bitch yo! And a 'ore yo! You's a slut man!" Darren insulted her.

Bardroy and Miranda turned away for a moment and snickered. Just Darren's voice made them explode into giggles.

"And you's a hoe! And an ugly one at that! Man, you's so ugly dat even your mother probably 'ates ya! And ya father~"

Bardroy silenced him. "Darren," he took a deep breath and tried to stop his grin from turning into a laugh, "that's quite enough. I think we get the gist of it."

Sarah joined in, "Yeah, I think that you should stop now. That was pretty. . . Pretty funny, but still, it would be better if you didn't make her even more pissed then she already is."

Kira huffed, "Well, if you're finished making an ass of yourself Darren, then how about you suck my dick."

Sora was blinking rapidly; he had never heard so much cursing in one conversation. He watched in amazement as his mother let out a string of curses. Even _Riku _didn't swear that much, not even when he was mad. All the while, Sora thought, _Wow. . . My mom's awesome! _

"Enough of this foolishness," Kira spat. "We're wasting precious time. Joshua, get over here now." Slowly, the form of Joshua Capri appeared from in the fog. He stopped right next to Kira. "You let the boy escape," she told him, pointing to Sora who was standing safely behind the six adults. "How much of a dumbass can you be?"

"A big one," he answered bluntly. "He didn't hold any significance to us at all either way. Who cares if he got away or not?"

"I care." Kira narrowed her eyes at him. "I was going to use him to lure Sota here, but since a dumbass like you had to go and ruin that. . ."

"He brought you to Sota either way," Joshua sighed.

Her gaze slid over to Sota's group. "You know why we're here, don't you?"

"We do." Bardroy took a step forward. "I'm sure that you know as well."

"As much as I despise talking to you, yes, we do know why we're here." Kira turned from Bardroy to Joshua. "Summon your Keyblade."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just do it." She sent him an icy glare.

"Yes sweetheart," he obeyed, once again filling his voice with sarcasm. He held out his hand and then summoned his Keyblade.

Everyone was silent except for Sota who shouted out, "Hey! That's mine!"

Joshua blinked and then eyed the key in his hand. "I guess you're right." He frowned at the weapon.

"Give it back!" Sota yelled.

Joshua's eyes trailed upon the Keyblade that Sota was holding. "I'm not giving yours back until you give me mine."

"What are you talking about, this isn't~" Sota started at the suddenly familiar blade. He could remember when it had torn through Sarah's body, killing her. He gritted his teeth at the blade and then looked up at Joshua who was sending him a glare back. "Why the hell did I get stuck with _your_ Keyblade?" He dropped it to the ground and then stamped on it. He pointed his finger at Joshua. "If we weren't here right now, I'd beat your sorry ass back to the Hell you came from! You killed Sarah!"

Joshua frowned "You think I'm the bad guy? Look who's talking." He shook his head. "You all need to open your eyes and see who the real bad guy is around here. It's not me."

Sarah narrowed her eyes and then asked her husband, "Sota, what's he talking about?"

"Nothing. He's just trying to trick us again. That's all he can do. Deceive people."

Joshua shook his head. "Here." He gave Sota's Keyblade a toss over to the group and Sota quickly snatched his up. "I don't need to be holding a Keyblade like yours," Joshua muttered. "It only shames the innocent."

Sora was looking around, confusion being the only thing he knew at that moment. _Why are all of our Keyblades different? Could what Joshua said be the truth? If we find our real Keyblades does that mean that we can go back to the real world? _He focused back on Joshua Capri who was holding his arm out in front of him, a stance that Sora knew all to well.

The Keyblade that was underneath Sota's foot disappeared suddenly, causing the blonde to lose his balance and almost fall to the ground. He would have if Bardroy hadn't have grabbed a fistful of his brother's shirt and keep him standing on his own two feet.

Joshua grinned and started to laugh. "Sota, Sota, Sota. . ." He shook his head, still smiling. "Some things never change do they? You're still as stupid as I remember. Well. . ." His eyes slid over to Darren. "At least not as stupid as him though."

The brute took a step forward. "Yo man! What'd you say!?"

"Darren." Runea placed a hand on his arm. "Don't." He frowned but then calmed himself and stayed where he was.

Joshua eyed the Keyblade in his hand, twirled it around, and then smiled. "Well, that was pretty easy."

Sota sent Joshua a glare but then looked down at his Keyblade. He smiled, thankful that he had gotten it back so quickly. Sarah looked over at him and then narrowed her eyes back at Kira. "So, apparently, even after all of this time, you still haven't located your Keyblade?"

"I can see that you haven't found yours either."

Sora was still wondering about all the information on the Keyblades and what had to be done in order to gain a second chance at life. When he looked over at his sisters, they looked just as lost as he did. Sanji and Ryan too. He knew that he'd have to question his parents about it once they were through with arguing with the Capri's.

"Your group still has a lot of searching to do," Kira commented, "being that there are a bunch of you. I never liked to bother myself friends. All they do is get in the way. All a woman needs is a good man who she can rely on. I was hoping that Sota could join up with me. . ." She sent Sota a small pout and he shook his head.

"No thanks," he declined in a hiss.

Kira titled her head. "Oh well, maybe next time." She smiled at him and he frowned back.

Sora was pretty sure he saw Joshua roll his eyes.

The long-haired woman turned to her husband. "Joshua, we're done here. Let's move on." Kira started off and Joshua reluctantly followed. She paused for a moment and then hissed, "And if you even dare leaving me here alone, you'll receive hell when we meet again."

"Oh Kira, I wouldn't dream of leaving," he said mockingly.

This time, she didn't even retort. The two continued on their way until they disappeared through the fog.

Ryan would have chased off after Joshua if Kira wasn't with him. His heart ached with pain to see him leave, but then he turned himself back to Sanji. If anyone could get his father off of his mind, it would be him.

Sanji's heart fluttered in his chest when Ryan took his hand. "We should join up with the group."

The blonde was about to protest but when Ryan smiled reassuringly at him, he relaxed. "Come on."

"Sanji!" Sora ran over to him and hugged his brother tightly. "There you are! I'm so glad that you're all right! I was worried that Kira may have hurt you!"

Sanji was surprised to see Sora so worried about him. He accepted the hug and gave one in return. "I'm okay. Don't worry."

Sora pulled away, smiling. "That's good."

Savannah was next. "What happened to you? You were with Sam and I but then you and Ryan just disappeared."

"Sorry," Ryan apologized. "We ran into trouble. . ." It was as good a story as any.

"Just don't run off again," Savannah told him. She wrapped her arms around Ryan's perfect shaped torso and then gave him a squeeze. Resting her head on his sternum, she ran her hands up his fit arms and breathed, "I was worried that you'd left me. . ."

Ryan blushed slightly and slowly pulled away. He liked Savannah, but not in the way that she did him. She was beautiful; he couldn't deny that, but she wasn't his type and he could tell. He had his eyes set on someone else.

"Yo man, ain't you's dat boy we's saw earlier?" Darren asked.

"It is, Darren," Runea told him. She stood on the tip of her toes and whispered to him, "I think that's Sota and Sarah's son, Sanji."

"You's mean that baby dat Sarah wouldn't let me 'old when it was born yo?"

His petite wife nodded.

Darren looked over at him and smirked. "Well I'll be. 'e's grown."

After talking to his younger sister, Sanji froze. His eyes fell upon the woman he was staring at before. Her blue eyes blinked at him. He saw the tears fill them when she cried, "Sanji!" She was next to him in an instant, hugging him tightly. "Sanji. . . I missed you so much. . ."

Tears were falling down Sanji's cheeks. He felt his knees weaken as he fell into his mothers arms, sobbing. "Where did you go? You just disappeared. . . You were there. . . But then you were gone. . ." He buried his face into her neck. "You left me all alone. . ."

"I'm sorry. . ." she apologized. "Things got complicated. . . If I could have I would have been there with you. . . It's not fair that I left. I promise that I'll be there from now on."

Sanji bit his lip. "And you'll protect me. . ?"

Sarah nodded. "I will. I am your mother after all."

"You're not just my Mom. . ." Sanji closed his eyes and breathed in his mother's scent. "You're my angel." It had been so long since he had been safe in her arms that he never wanted to let go.

Runea was wiping tears away from her eyes. "Oh. . . I'm so happy. . . Why does this have to be so heartbreaking. . ." She buried her face into her hands and started to sob. Darren patted her on the shoulder.

"It okay Runea," he told her. "You's don' need to cry, yo."

"I know. . ." Runea wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "It's just. . . I keep thinking. . . And I just can't wait to see Eric and Riku. I've missed them so much. . . And they were so young. . . How am I supposed to explain to them what happened?"

"Riku?" Bardroy turned to Runea. "Oh yeah, I remember him. You know, Sora knows him. He should be here, right?"

Runea blinked. "What. . ?"

"I heard Sora saying something about him once. Something about Kiari killing. . . him. . ." Bardroy fell silent when he saw new tears surfacing in Runea's eyes.

"W-What do you mean. . ? He's. . . He's. . ." Runea started to sob. "My Riku's. . . Dead!?"

"O-Oh. . . I guess you wouldn't know. . ." Bardroy stammered. "I'm. . . I'm sorry. . ."

"Yo man!" Darren grabbed Bardroy by the scruff of the shirt and lifted him off of his feet. "What'd you say? Where da 'ell is Riku!?"

"Darren!" Miranda gasped. "Put him down now!"

Darren muttered a few curses and then dropped the blonde back onto his feet. In a somewhat calmer tone, he asked, "What 'appened to Riku?"

Bardroy shrugged. "Ask Sora." He motioned to the spiky-haired boy.

Sora's heart sunk when Riku's father approached him. From a distance he was big enough, but when he was only a few feet away, you could have mistaken him for a giant. He frowned. "What 'appened to Riku, yo?"

Sora lowered his head. "Riku. . . I. . ." He lowered his head. "I'm the reason he's dead. I killed him."

Runea started to cry harder. Sarah had to walk over and comfort her.

"Why?" Darren held up his fist, but Sota grabbed it before he could do anything. "Why'd ya kill 'im?"

"It was an accident. I didn't trust him when I should have. That's what happened."

"You little bastard," Darren cursed. "I's teach ya to~"

"Darren!" Runea wiped more tears away from her eyes. "It's not his fault. He said that it was an accident."

"And you's believe 'im?"

"I do. He's Sarah's son. I can trust him." She managed a small smile. "And. . . Even if he is dead, then he should be here, right?"

Sora smiled. "That's right! We can find him." He paused for a minute and then asked, "But, then again, where is _here_? I never really got a straight answer. Do you mind filling us in?"

Sarah sighed. "Well, that's kind of tough, but I'm pretty sure that I've figured this place out. After all, I have been here for twelve years so I should at least know something, right?"

"I've been here for quite sometime," Runea nodded.

"Me too. I've gathered some info," Miranda said.

"Then enlighten us," Sota said. "I'm still a little curious about this place. Tell us what you know."

"Well, it's true that we're dead," Sarah began. "Our beings are trapped inside this. . . This world, if you will. We're in the Keyblade Realm. It's _**the other side**_ of life and death. We've already passed on with life, but now we're in the world of death. It may seem okay and all at first, but once you're here for awhile, you start to long for the other life. You find yourself lonely and lost, unsure of what you're doing. The Keyblade Realm is almost like a place where time freezes. I'm still the same age when I died. Your father and I are now about twelve years apart from each other when we're supposed to be the same age. It may not seem that big of a deal, but when years, even decades pass, it starts to eat away at you until you just want to die either way. This place can be either your Heaven or Hell, whichever you choose."

"But, why are we here?" Sanji asked. He was standing next to Ryan, making sure his distance was far enough away from his father. "Is there a specific purpose?"

"We can gain a second chance at life. Our Keyblades are scattered around to different people," Miranda replied.

"But wait." Sanji tilted his head. "I can't wield a Keyblade. How come I'm here?"

It was silent until Sora gasped happily. "Maybe you can wield a Keyblade too! Try it!"

"But I can't. I've already tried a couple times before. . . It never works. . ." Sanji lowered his head, a disappointed frown on his face.

He felt strong hands fall onto his shoulders. When he looked behind himself and into Ryan's smiling face, he almost gasped. Ryan gave his shoulder's a friendly squeeze. "I know that you'll get it. You're strong. Try again."

Sanji knew that his cheeks were turning red, so he quickly looked away and nodded, "Okay."

Ryan took Sanji's arm. The blonde was about to pull away, but when he felt how soft and gentle the touch was, he let it go. It had been so long since his body was handled so carefully. "Here," Ryan's voice was full of kindness, "I'll help you." He guided Sanji's arm until it was sticking straight out. "First," he began, "you hold out your hand. To summon your Keyblade, you have to have a bond with the weapon. You must call it forth each time. It won't come unless you focus all of your mind on it coming to you. You are its master." Sanji could feel Ryan's breath on his neck. "Just concentrate."

Sanji nodded. He closed his eyes, the only thing mattering to him that he was with Ryan, almost, just _almost,_ wrapped in his strong arms. He flexed his fingers when he started to feel a strange feeling coming over him. A power was building up in his body and it was just waiting to be released. When he heard a "swoosh" noise, he opened his eyes to see a magical weapon resting in his hand.

Ryan leaned his head over Sanji's shoulder. "You did it!" he smiled and then, as if he had realized how close he was to Sanji, blushed, and then pulled away slowly. "I-I hope I helped you. . ." His gaze fell to the ground, his cheeks turning redder.

Sanji quickly smiled at him. His heart was beating quickly and he knew that it was because of Ryan's closeness. Where Ryan had touched him was still tingling. "Thanks Ryan. I would have never been able to summon it unless you hadn't have helped me."

Ryan smiled at him again; this time, a shy smile. "You're welcome. . ." His voice trailed off as if he were afraid to say anymore.

"Well, not that we've all figured out that we can summon a Keyblade. . ." Bardroy glanced back over at his wife, "I'm not quite sure if I've got this right and I'm positive that I'm not the only one with this question, but what's the significance of wielding a Keyblade here? Why are they so important?"

"If we find them and reclaim our own, we can gain another chance at life and be revived," Miranda explained.

"Really? We can be revived?" Sam asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Well, if we find our Keyblade then we will, I guess. It could all be a hoax, but. . . Wait." Sarah turned to her husband. "Sota, you have your original Keyblade back. Why don't try it?"

"I heard that if you hold your Keyblade up and think about where you want to be, then it will send you there. It's just a rumor, but it's as good as any information we have," Miranda said.

"Try it Sota. If it does work then we'll all know that it's not just a fantasy. We'll be able to live again!" Runea smiled widely. "I've been here for so long. . . I can't wait to get back the real world."

Sota shook his head. "No."

"What?" almost everyone asked in unison.

"Why not?" Sarah urged.

"If it does work then I'll be sent back to the real world. What if something happens here and you won't be able to return? I'd rather be stuck here with you than be all alone by myself," Sota replied. "I don't want something like that to happen." He caressed Sarah's cheek. "I don't want to lose you again. . ."

She sighed. "Aren't you being sweet?" She smiled and then kissed him. "But okay, I can understand why you would want to stay here with us. We'll just have to gather all of our Keyblades and then try it out. Besides, there are still some people we have to find. Does everyone else agree?"

No one made any protest. Sora stepped ahead. "Sora Lee's out there somewhere. He was killed just like us. . ."

"I saw him." Sanji spoke up. "Ryan and I were chasing after him before, but then we were held up by Kira and Joshua."

"Do you know where he was running off to?" Savannah asked.

Ryan answered, "No. I'm afraid not. He ran off without a word."

Bardroy and Miranda sighed. "He's a stubborn as a damn mule, just like his mother."

"Hey." Sarah crossed her arms. "I'm not _that _stubborn."

"Yes you are." Sota nodded. "You are, believe me."

Sarah frowned. "Okay, maybe just _a bit_. . . But still, we have to find Lee! I refuse to leave this place without my son!"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "May as well just leave him here. No one would miss him anyway. . ."

"I would." Ryan's voice.

Sanji turned to him. "Why? You don't know him like I do."

"Yeah, I think I do. He's like one. . . No, I consider him my brother," Ryan stated. "He's been with me ever since I was taken in after my parents. . . Well. . . You get the idea."

Sanji raised an eyebrow at Ryan's hesitance. He noticed the flicker of sadness that had been in Ryan's expression when he spoke those words, but he decided not to question it. Although he was incredibly curious, they had more important things to worry about at that moment. They had to search and gather their scattered Keyblades.

"You know. . . I just thought of something." Miranda turned to her friends and family members. "Why don't we check each others Keyblades to make sure that none of us have pairs?"

"Good idea," Sarah nodded. Everyone held out their hand and summoned their Keyblades. Almost immediately, Darren gasped.

"Yo! Dat mine!" He pointed at the Keyblade in Sam's hand. "Give it back yo!" He quickly yanked the weapon out of her hand and then exchanged the one he held with hers.

Sam rubbed her arm that felt as if it had been pulled from its socket. She sighed but then smiled. "At least I have mine back too. Lucky me."

Darren held up to his face and kissed the metal. "I missed ya yo. . . I's never let ya go 'gain. . . I promise yo."

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that he treats that piece of metal better than he does his own friends and family," Miranda muttered to Bardroy, the two of them laughing afterward.

Ryan examined each one carefully, making sure not to miss any inch of detail. When he fell upon the one that Sanji's aunt was wielding, he couldn't help but to gasp happily. "Excuse me ma'am." Ryan interrupted their laughter. "I think that that Keyblade is mine."

Miranda blinked. "Really?" She handed it to him and then took the one out of his hands. "You know. . ." She eyed the one she took from him. "This. . . This is mine! Yes!"

Bardroy smiled at his wife. "Well, that was pretty easy. Now, we just have to find mine and then we'll be able to go back together. This is great!"

Ryan looked down at his blade and smiled thankfully. "Don't worry. . ." he murmured, "Zack, Taylor, I'm coming home. . . I promise that I'll bring Lee and Dad with me. . . Please, be safe." He eyed his blade. "I wonder if it really works. . . Can we get a second change at life?"

"I believe it." Sanji smiled. "You'll be home to your brothers in no time."

"Do you really think so?"

Sanji nodded. "Who says that it can't happen?"

After everyone checked each others Keyblades and saw that there were no more matches, the group decided that it would be best for everyone to split up.

"So, who's going with who?" Sora asked.

"Well. . . It really all depends. Who wants to go with who?" Sarah asked.

"I wanna go with Dad!" Sora volunteered.

"I wanna go with Mom!" Savannah shouted next.

The brunette sighed. "I guess there's no helping it." Sarah eyed her two daughters. "I'll take the girls, and Sota, you can take the boys."

"Okay." Sota turned to Bardroy, Darren, and their wives. "You four can go together."

"That's fine with me." Bardroy smirked and then put his arms around both Runea and Miranda' shoulders. "Shall we then, ladies?" Both of them giggled and then took his hand, Runea on the right, Miranda on the left.

"Yo! Bardroy! The 'ell's you doin'?" Darren cursed, crossing his large biceps. "Stealin' my wife 'gain, are ya?" He cracked his knuckles. "You's gonna learn da 'ard way."

Bardroy rolled his eyes. "I'm already a dead man. Good luck trying to kill me here. And, if you haven't noticed, I already have my wife here with me. I'm just being hospitable to Runea and showing her around. It's what friends do."

"'ospital? Who da hell said anythin' 'bout a 'ospital?" Darren frowned. "Tryin' to trick me 'gain. I see 'ow it is yo."

Miranda and Runea burst out laughing and even Bardroy couldn't help but to grin. "I said hospitable you dumbass. It means friendly or kind. Lord, never thought you'd get stupider. I thought that you being with Runea could have helped that brain of yours."

"Yo man, wha'd ya say? I's very smart yo."

"Have you learned how to read yet?"

"Shut the 'ell up yo!"

This time, Bardroy laughed, walking off with the two woman. Darren frowned and followed the three.

"Oh Ryan, you can come with us if you'd like," Savannah offered.

Ryan looked over his shoulder at Savannah. "Oh. . . Well. . ." He took a deep breath and then said, "I'm sorry, but I already told Sanji that I was going with his group."

Savannah looked shocked. "O-Oh. . ." Her friendly smile turned into a confused, disappointed look. "Okay. . ." She turned around and then silently walked off with her mother and sister.

Seeing how sad he had made her, Ryan wanted to call her back and apologize again, but he already knew that it was too late. He slowly turned back to Sanji, "Are we heading off?"

Sanji nodded, never looking away from what his gaze was focused on. Ever since the groups had been decided he was silent. His eyes were staring directly into his father's narrowed ones. Sanji was the first to look way.

"Come on!" Sora urged, grabbing his father's hand, trying to get them to go. Sota finally gave in and started along.

"Sanji, come on," he said in a stern voice when the twenty-one year old didn't move. "_Now_."

Sanji nodded. "Yeah. . . Okay, Dad." It took most of Sanji's strength to just move forward after that. Ryan trailed right next to him, his wonders growing even more full of curiosity.

Sora led them along, smiling. He knew that once he found his Keyblade and they were all together, they could go back to the real world and foil Kiari's plans.

Just thinking about Riku made Sora's heartbeat quicken. It had been so long since the two had talked, since they had seen each other. He knew that his silver-haired friend was out there somewhere and he had to find him. Even though he had a second channe at life if he found his missing Keyblade, he knew that without Riku, the opportunity would be meaningless.

His life wasn't worth living if he couldn't be with his friend.


	3. Chapter 3 - Reuniting With the Keyblades

**Day 24**

**Reuniting With the Keyblades**

"So that's why we're here then, huh?" Riku stretched his sore arms as he walked alongside his older brother. "Do you think that the others are here?" He paused and then hesitantly asked, "Do you think that Mom and Dad are here. . ?"

Eric nodded. "They must be. . . But, how did Dad die?"

"You see. . . There was an accident. . . And well. . ." Riku explained how he had succumbed to the Darkness and accidentally confronted his father.

Tears were falling down Eric's cheeks when Riku was finished. He wrapped his arms around his brother and started to sob. "I can't believe that you had to go through something like that! And I wasn't even there to comfort you! I'm sorry Riku!"

Riku hugged his brother back. "It's okay. . . I don't blame you for not being there. . . But may I ask, where were you? Why did you leave?"

Eric pulled away and wiped tears from his eyes. "Oh. . . I was looking for my friend. You see, he had run away. . . I wanted to find him again. I'm sure that you have friends that you would give your life for."

Riku nodded and then smiled when his best friend's face filled his thoughts. "Yeah. . . I know that feeling. . . Once we get out of here, I have to search too."

"Yeah. . . Well, he had sort of a Darkness problem. . . It wasn't his fault that he lost control." Eric eyes filled with tears. "He attacked me and the other man I was with. I just couldn't bring myself to fight against him. If I would have hurt him. . . I would have suffered from the guilt. . . I wouldn't have been able to live with myself." Riku patted him on the back when he started to sob. Once he regained some of his calm composure, he continued. "And so. . . I let him attack me. He struck me down and everything after that is just blank."

"What was his name?" Riku questioned.

"Sora Lee."

Riku raised an eyebrow at first, but then shook off the fact that his best friends name was Sora too. "Really?"

Eric nodded. "Most just call him Lee."

"Where's Lee now? Here?" Riku asked.

Eric shrugged. "I hope not. . . If he is then that means that he was killed or died. . ." His gaze was cast towards the ground. "I hope that he was able to regain his sanity after he killed me. . ."

Riku smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm sure that he probably did. I'm sure that he's strong just like you. If I was able to gain control of myself then he probably could too."

"You think so?"

"Sure." Riku smiled at his brother again. He looked the same as Riku remembered him and that made him happy. "I'm glad I found you again."

"Me too." Tears fell down Eric's face once again. "I miss you so much. . . And you grew so much!"

Riku blinked and then did notice that he was now taller than his older brother. "Oh. . . I guess you're right. . ." He smiled shyly. "I never really noticed. . ."

Eric pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed his wet eyes. "At least we're together now. . ." He smiled thankfully, his aquamarine eyes shining.

Riku nodded. "Yeah, that's good." Glancing around, he questioned, "So, we have to find our Keyblades then, huh?"

"I guess so. The easiest way to search is just to walk around and ask the people you run into."

"That sounds easy enough."

"It's tougher than you think."

Riku sighed; why couldn't anything be easy for once? He followed his brother as they started to walk along. Once he gave it some thought, he smiled thankfully. Not only would he have a chance to be reunited with his family, but with Sora as well.

His happiness increased when he thought about Sora's smile. It had been so long since he had seen friend. He hoped that the man who had taken him hadn't hurt him. He could only pray that Sora was all right.

"Eric!" Runea called once again. She was determined to find her son.

"I never thought that Runea could yell so loud. . ." Bardroy muttered. "But then again, Runea, she can do anything. One hell of a woman if you ask me."

Miranda dug her elbow into her husband's ribs. "You act like you know her better than you do me." She folded her arms over her chest.

"Aw Miranda, don't be like that. The woman practically raised me," Bardroy told her. "Sure , I had a crush on her when I was little, but still, you're the only one that I want." He kissed the back of her fingers. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you."

Miranda sighed, giving in instantly. "I know. I was just teasing. You're still the same charming man I fell in love with."

Darren grumbled something and then sighed. "Runea, you's know that you's only gonna attract atten~"

"ERIC!" Runea screamed.

The other three adults ducked their heads when Runea's voice pierced their eardrums. "God woman!" Darren hissed. "Don' yell so loud, yo. You's gonna make us all go deaf!"

"I don't care! We have to find Eric!" Runea told him.

"I know dat, yo. But you's need to calm down's a bit. We ain't gotta rush. We's will find 'im. Don' wor~"

Out of nowhere, a boy came charging out of the mist, his Keyblade in hand. He ran straight past Runea and directly at Bardroy and Miranda. Giving his wife a shove out of the way, Bardroy blocked the incoming slash by clashing his Keyblade with the sudden attacker.

Miranda gasped. "Sora Lee!? What are you doing here?! Stop!"

Lee pulled away and then wickedly slashed at Bardroy again. "You killed my father!" he yelled. "And for that you'll pay!" He fiercely whipped his blade around, forcing Bardroy to back away from him in order to dodge attacks.

Anger was burning in his eyes and his actions were full of fury. He put both of his hands on his blade a swung it around forcefully. When it made contact with Bardroy's weapon, it knocked it out of his hand. "I got you now!" Lee yelled, slashing directly at Bardroy. He waited for the blood of his uncle to splatter onto the ground, but it never did.

Lee came to a pause when he realized that his uncle had vanished. He looked around but before he could turn around, he felt something quick and hard hit him directly in the neck. His limbs went weak almost immediately and then he slumped to the ground, unconscious. His Keyblade clattered onto the ground next to him.

Miranda knelt down next to her nephew and examined him to make sure he wasn't injured. She looked up at her husband who was frowning down at her. "You shouldn't have done that," she said firmly.

"He was set on killing me. I was just defending myself," Bardroy replied.

"Why did he mean by 'you killed my father'?" A worried look appeared on her face. "Don't tell me you killed Sota. . ."

Bardroy shook his head. "No. Lee was there when I killed Joshua. He seemed to be with him at that time or something. He was upset and tried to attack me when I wounded Joshua."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. . . I was hoping we could question him here. He must have been with Joshua ever since he ran away. . ."

Miranda nodded. "I thought he was dead. . ."

"So did I."

"Well. . . We'll have to keep him contained until we find all of the others. Sarah will surely want to see him," Miranda said.

Bardroy nodded. "Darren, come here."

"Yo man, who da 'ell is that?" The brute pointed to the boy lying on the ground.

"That's Sota's son," Bardroy answered. "I doubt you remember him. Sora Lee's his name."

"Oh, I remember Lee. . ." Runea smiled slightly. "We hoped that when they grew up Eric and him would be friends. He's grown up now. . . He reminds me so much of Sota and Sarah. . ."

"What'd ya want, yo?" Darren questioned.

"I want you to carry Lee," Bardroy answered. "We need him to come with us."

"Yo man, why's do I 'ave to do all of da work?" Darren grumbled.

"That's what you're here for," Runea smiled at him and touched his arm. "You're my big strong man, aren't you? Surely carrying him shouldn't be too much to handle, right?"

Darren smiled. "No yo. 'e's really light, yo. I's got 'im." He slung Lee over his shoulder without any difficulty.

"Now, let's get moving," Bardroy directed. "Let's just try and head back to Sarah and the others. She probably wants to see her son."

Runea nodded. "I agree. . . But. . ." She lowered her head. "What about Eric. . ? We have to find him. . . I'm not leaving here until he's safe in my arms."

"But where should we start to look?" Miranda questioned. "He could be any~"

"Mom? Dad?"

When all four of them spun around, their eyes locked onto two boys that looked very similar to each other. It was obvious that they were related, brothers even. They both had silver hair, the ones cascading down his back while the others was cut so it was hanging just a bit below his shoulders. One of them was about a half a head shorter than the other, but both of them had the same sparkling aquamarine eyes.

Runea gasped. A wide smile grew on her face as she ran towards the two boys. "Eric! Riku!" she squealed, pulling them into an embrace.

Savannah handed her Keyblade to the little girl she had approached. The girl handed hers over and then said, "Thank you, miss." She smiled widely just before holding the weapon up and disappearing without a trace. Savannah quickly turned around and raced back over to her mother and sister.

"Mom, I got my Keyblade!" she exclaimed. "A little girl had it."

"You found yours already?" Sarah asked.

Savannah nodded. "Haven't you found yours?"

"Nope. I've been searching for twelve years," Sarah responded. "I still haven't found it and with my luck I probably never will."

"That little girl looked so young. . . I guess it's true that no matter who, young or old, if they can wield a Keyblade then they'll be sent here once they're dead." Savannah smiled again. "The rumor must be true. I watched her. She held up her Keyblade and then disappeared."

"She did?"

Savannah nodded.

"Well. . . That's a plus." Sarah sighed, relieved. "At least this isn't all just a wild goose chase."

"You got that right. We'll have to tell Dad and them once we run into them again," Savannah said.

"Yeah."

"Hey," Sam interrupted, "what's that over there?"

Sarah focused her eyes on what Sam was pointing to. Something was sticking out of the ground a few yards away. She stepped up the object and then gasped.

It was a Keyblade. _Her_ Keyblade.

Sarah pulled it out of the ground and then held it in her hands. She fell to her knees in shock. "This. . . This is mine. . ." she murmured.

"Really?" Savannah bent over and examined the blade. "But it was just sticking out of the ground. . ."

"Someone must have found theirs and then left it here," Sam guessed. "Talk about a lucky find."

"You have no idea. . ." Sarah muttered. "I've been searching for _years_. . . Twelve _long_ years. . . And it was here the whole time. . . Stuck in the dirt. . . Waiting for me. . ."

"Looks like it. That wasn't so hard," Sam smiled.

Sarah nodded. "Maybe you two are just good luck."

"Maybe," Sam agreed.

"Still, I hope that your father is having more luck than we are," Sarah said. "We should head back and look for him."

"Dad, is this Keyblade mine?" Sora asked. "It looks like mine, but there are some differences."

"What kind of differences?" Sota asked, stopping right next to his youngest son. "You're the owner of your Keyblade and you're the only one who should know what it exactly looks like."

"I know but. . ." Sora narrowed his eyes at the weapon he was holding. "This one is a different color. . . The key part should be silver and it's a copper color. Also, the hilt should be yellow but now that's silver. . . And mine never feels this heavy. . . But still, other than that, it looks just like mine. But why is that?"

Sota took it out of Sora's hands. He twirled it around a few times, examining it. "No. . . I think that this is yours. You're memory just must be lagging."

The sixteen-year-old took the Keyblade back but looked at it again. "I'm telling you Dad that this isn't mine."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not."

"Sora, you're just being stupid again. That _is _yours and you already have _your_ match. You can go back to the real world now," Sota told him. "Just hush up while we find Ryan's and. . . and _his_." He motioned his head towards Sanji.

A pang of hurt hit Sanji's heart. Or was it jealously. The blonde's gaze fell down towards the ground. _He doesn't even acknowledge me as his son. . . What is the matter with me?_

His mood brightened when he heard Ryan whisper in his ear, "You know, I think that that Keyblade isn't Sora's. . . I can even see that."

Sanji nodded. "I can see that too."

"Then why don't you say something? He'll listen to you. He's your father."

"I'd. . . rather not. . ."

"Come on," Ryan pressed. "Prove him wrong. It's really fun sometimes. I relish the feeling when I prove my brothers wrong, and it happens everyday!"

Sanji looked over a Ryan, an eyebrow raised.

Ryan blinked. "What?"

Sanji couldn't help but to smirk. "You always seem so innocent and quiet, but now I can see that there's a devil in there somewhere."

"Hey." Ryan smiled. "A man's gotta have some fun every once in awhile. Just prove him wrong. It'll be fun."

Only because Ryan was telling him to, Sanji gathered up all the courage he had and said in a surprisingly loud voice, "Wait a second Dad. That's not Sora's." He bravely walked over to his brother and took the Keyblade in his hand. "This isn't yours."

"I told you!" Sora pointed out to his father. "Sanji believes me!"

Sota narrowed his eyes at Sanji. "Oh yeah? And why isn't it his? Why does it look like his then, huh?"

"B-Because. . . Uh. . ." Sanji's boldness was starting to melt away. He looked away from his father's dark stare and down at the Keyblade he was holding. "Be-Because. . ." He blinked and then a realization fell over him. He knew who the Keyblade belonged to. "Because this belongs to Lee."

Sota paused for a minute and then focused on the blade.

"He's right," Sora said. "Told you Dad!"

Sota frowned. "Oh well, one mistake. Don't think your smarter than me Sanji."

Sanji nodded quickly. "I'm not."

Ryan carefully took the blade out of Sanji's hand. "This is Lee's. It's definitely his. We have to find him."

"But you said that he wasn't listening to us. What makes you think he'll listen to us now?" Sora asked.

"If he wants to get out of here as much as we do, then he needs his Keyblade. We can lure him to us with his weapon. It's not like he can reject us without pushing away his turn at a second chance," Ryan explained.

"Well," Sora looked at the copper blade in his hand, "at least we know who mine belongs to. No worries. We'll find Lee and then exchange them! But what about Sanji's? Whose does his belong to?"

Sanji held out his hand and, remembering the instructions Ryan had given him, summoned his Keyblade. He eyed it over. "I don't know who this belongs to. I've never seen it before."

"I have." Sota narrowed his eyes at the weapon and then a sudden realization washed over him. "That's Kira's."

"Kira's!" Sora gasped. "But why did Sanji have to have hers?" "I don't know. It's not like I make the decisions."

Sanji sighed. "Nothing ever works out well for me."

"Don't fret." Ryan smiled at him. "I know it's going to be a bit complicated to just get yours back from her, but like I said before and by the sound of it, she wants to get out of here just as much as we do. She won't hesitate for long. She doesn't seem like the type to jeopardize her chance at living again."

"Kira's tricky," Sota told them all. "She can mess with your head and confuse you. If you see her, watch your back."

Sora nodded. "Gotcha. So, we're looking for Lee's now right?" He was determined to find his Keyblade and gain his second chance. Once he got that out of the way, he could start his search for Riku. And then once the two of them were together, they could head back to the real world with each other and face Kiari side by side.

But Sora knew that nothing could ever go that well.

"My sons!" Runea squealed, squeezing the two similar looking boys.

"Mom!" Riku shouted, blushing. "Not so tight!" The family had already had their reunion together and were now having a lovable family hug.

Miranda had Lee's arm around her shoulder to help hold him up. She looked over at Bardroy. "You really should have just tried to reason with him instead of knocking him out. I don't think Sarah's gonna be happy."

"Let her be mad. If she wants to see her son as badly as we think she does then she won't even think about us knocking him out," her husband replied. "Quit worrying."

"I'm just saying. . ." She sighed and then looked over at the Minamimoto family. Runea was crying as she continued to squeeze her two sons tightly. She sighed sadly. "I miss Emily. . What if she doesn't remember me?"

"She knows who you are. She'll remember. Believe me. She's asked about you more than once."

"And?"

"I told her all about you. She said that she wished she could have gotten to know you. I know that it's going to be at bit awkward at first, but she'll warm up to you in no time." "I hope she does. . ."

Eric wiped the tears of happiness away from his eyes and once his clouded vision started to clear up, he spotted Lee. His eyes widened, more tears filling them. "Lee!" He quickly rushed over to him. "Lee!" He waited for Miranda to gently lean him against a large rock. "Lee! Are you all right!?"

Miranda blinked. "Do you know him?"

"He's my best friend! Are you his mother? What happened!?"

"No, I'm his aunt," Miranda replied. "Lee was acting harshly so my husband knocked him out."

Eric turned back to his friend. "Lee. Lee, please, wake up."

Riku stepped up to his brother and gazed at his unconscious friend. When he saw what he looked like, he couldn't help of thinking of his own friend, Sora. _That is really weird. . . He looks a lot like Sora. . . Too much like Sora. But. . . I thought Sora was an only child. . . He's always been the only one. . . It must just be a coincidence._

Lee finally stirred and then let out a moan. He rubbed his neck where Bardroy had hit him. "Eric. . ? Is that. . . you. . ?"

Riku started to reconsider his thoughts when he saw the familiar blue eyes on Lee's face.

"Lee!" Eric wrapped his arms around his friend, tears falling down his cheeks. "I've missed you so much! Are you all right?"

Lee was stunned at first but then hugged his friend back. "Yeah. . . I. . . I'm okay I guess. . ." He looked around and when his eyes settled on Bardroy, rage filled him. Eric saw the change in Lee's eyes.

"Lee! Calm down!" Lee pushed the silver-haired boy away and then jumped up. He was already clashing his blade against Bardroy's before anyone could even move.

"You killed Father! He never did anything to you! What gave you the right to strike him down!?" Lee gave his uncle a shove back and then charged at him again. When Bardroy disappeared and then reappeared behind his nephew, Lee quickly spun around and grabbed his hand. "Sorry, but I won't fall for the same trick twice."

"I figured you wouldn't. It was worth a shot though!" Bardroy gave Lee a shove back.

"Lee! Stop it!" Eric cried. "We can work things out! Just please, stop fighting!"

Lee paused for a moment and clutched his head. He let out a few groans and gritted his teeth in pain. "Lee. . . What's wrong?" Eric asked. When he went to put his hand on his friends shoulder, Lee pushed it away.

Eric's eyes widened when he saw the almost invisible aura of Darkness that coated Lee's body. "Lee! You have to snap out of it! You're letting the Darkness get a hold of you again!"

When Lee looked up at Eric, his eyes were blank. They slid slowly over towards Bardroy and in an instant, the two were engaged in battle again.

"Lee!" Eric started to yell once again, but Riku stopped him.

"Eric, you know as well as I do. You're not going to reach him that way." Riku took his brother's hand. "If he didn't hear you before, then he's not going to hear you now."

"B-But. . ." Eric lowered his head. "I know. . . But still. . . It was worth a try. . . I just hoped that maybe he'd gotten away from the Darkness. . ."

"It's really hard to pull away from the Darkness once you let it take control inside of you. I should know."

Eric gasped. "You mean. . . You let the Darkness take over you once before?"

Riku nodded. "Although I use the Darkness as somewhat the main source of my power, the Light is where I truly belong. I know how to control the Darkness in my heart. I've learned how to manipulate it to help me and make me stronger when I fight. You don't have to worry about me. I've taught myself how to handle it."

Eric smiled and then hugged his brother. "I always knew that you'd grow up to be strong."

Riku smiled back. "You were my reason to grow strong. . . Well. . . You and my friend Sora. I've always wanted to be strong like him."

"I'm sure you are." Eric looked back at Lee who was haphazardly slashing at Bardroy who was busy defending himself. "But still. . . Lee's strong too. . . I just don't see why he would delve in the Darkness. He was already strong enough. . ."

"Maybe his lust for power is greater," Riku stated. "I used the Darkness to become stronger so I could protect the people around me. If you're not used to it, it can backfire and hurt those you try so hard to protect. That's what's happening to Lee right now." That's when Riku started to remember. _That's right. . . Lee's the boy that was with Joshua. . . I helped to show him how to control the Darkness inside his heart. I can see that it's gotten a bit out of hand now. . . I can't blame him though. It happens. _Riku had almost forgotten about his encounter with Lee because he was too busy thinking of Sora when it had happened. _Maybe if I wasn't so worried about Sora at that time I would have caught his whole name instead of Lee. Sora Lee. . . He must be related to Sora in some way. But how. . ?_

Bardroy jumped back from one of the slashes. He lowered his Keyblade and then brought it up in an upward slash, knocking Lee's Keyblade out of his hand. He slashed at him, but Lee was too fast and retreated a few yards away.

Miranda took hold of Bardroy's arm. "Are you trying to take off his head?"

"No, I'm just defending myself. Even if I do injure him, we can't die here so it doesn't really matter," Bardroy responded. "You can just heal him."

"Even so, you should try not to hurt him."

Riku turned to the bickering couple. "You're not going to beat him unless you can scare the Darkness off around him. You need Light." The silver-haired boy blinked and then decided to add, "Um. . . And, if I may ask, who are you?"

"You're Riku, right?" Bardroy asked.

He nodded.

"Then you must know Sora. I'm his uncle."

"Oh." Riku furrowed his brow. _I never knew Sora had an uncle. . . But then again, I never knew he had a father until he told me. . . Speaking of his father, I wonder where he is. If what that man said to me back at Kiari's Kavern was true, then he was Sora's father. I hope he didn't hurt him. . . Oh Sora, where are you? _"Do you know where Sora is, by any chance?"

Miranda nodded. "He's with his father and brother. They went off in another direction searching for their Keyblades."

Riku nodded but couldn't hide the happy grin that had appeared on his face. His heart started to beat faster in his chest and a feeling of relief washed over him. He was going to see Sora again. Finally, the two of them could meet up with each other. _I'll have to apologize for making him worry. But still, I'm so happy right now. . . We've been apart for so long. . . _Riku felt his smile get bigger. When he realized that he was grinning in front of everywhere, he blushed and then willed the curve in his lips to disappear back into his normal frown.

"I couldn't help to hear your conversation with your brother earlier," Miranda said to him. "Do you really think that showering Lee with Light will stop him?"

"It should. Darkness is the opposite of Light, so it should work," Riku answered. "And I know the perfect person for the job."


	4. Chapter 4 - From Darkness to Light

**Day 25**

**From Darkness to Light**

"I don't suppose that that person would be me?"

Everyone turned to the familiar voice. Riku gasped when he saw his best friend. "Sora!"

Sora smiled at him. "Let me beat this guy first, then we can talk."

Riku regained his normal composure and nodded. "Yeah. Kick his ass Sora."

"Gotcha." Sora marched ahead until he was standing directly across from his brother. "So, we've finally found you."

Lee's eyes slid onto Sora's Keyblade. "I can see that you have my Keyblade."

"I do."

"And I guess that means I have yours."

Sora nodded, eying the weapon that had appeared in Lee's hand.

"I'm guessing that you want yours back just as I want mine, huh? Well, don't think I'm going to give it to you without challenging you first."

"What's the point of a challenge?" Sora asked. "If you want to get out here as badly as you say you do, then why don't you just hand it over. It would be a fair trade. We'd both get what we want."

"I like to fight. Spilling blood is what I'm made for," Lee laughed.

Sora shook his head; he knew that the Darkness was the cause for the nonsense he was hearing. "Well. . . If you won't give me my Keyblade back. . ." Sora's eyes narrowed and with a glint in them, he boldly challenged, "Then I'll have to pry it out of your defeated hands!"

Lee smirked. "You think that you're that strong. Well, I'll prove you wrong." He held his weapon out in front of him and then raced forward. Sora dived to the side to avoid the thrust and then whipped his Keyblade around. Lee quickly blocked the attack and then started to slash at Sora's feet. He jumped over the blade, did a flip backwards, and then readied himself. He knew that Lee was going to be the first one to attack once again.

When Lee clashed his weapon against his and forced Sora down onto one knee, he mocked, "Well, now we know which one of us lacks strength."

"Oh yeah? We'll just see about that!" Sora applied more pressure on his Keyblade and then pushed upward. Lee jumped back and then ran at Sora once again. Clashing blades together, Sora grabbed his brother's Keyblade with his free hand. Ripping it out of his grip, he quickly slashed at him. Lee took the hit, but luckily for him he was able to slice Sora's side at the same time. Both of them hopped back.

"Had enough?" Sora asked, glancing down for only a moment to examine his side.

"If you think that that will defeat me then you have a long way to go!" Lee laughed. He ran at his younger brother, slashing repeatedly. Sora blocked and dodged each attack, but Lee moved a bit too quickly at one point and his Keyblade impaled through Sora's body.

Sora cried out and then quickly jerked himself away from his brother. The Keyblade tore out of his body lopsidedly, cutting more of his flesh. He fell back onto the ground, clutching the wound.

"Sora!" Riku yelled, getting ready to rush forward.

"Wait." Ryan placed a hand on Riku's shoulder. "He wanted to win this fight by himself."

"But he needs my help!" Riku protested. "I know he won't mind if I go and help~"

"Sora wants to prove his strength to everyone standing here right now. If you interfere, it'll ruin his chance."

Riku sighed and then lowered his Keyblade. "Okay. . . But still, if it looks like he's about to lose, don't try to stop me."

Ryan nodded and then resumed his place next to Sanji. "I won't."

Lee lunged at Sora who rolled out of the way quick enough to prevent himself from getting stabbed again. When Lee slashed at him again, Sora caught the blade with his feet and kicked it out of Lee's grasp. He jumped back to his feet and then pointed his Keyblade at Lee who paused.

"What made you want to become part of the Darkness?" Sora asked. He wanted to know. The Darkness was cold and cruel. The Light was warm and blissful. "Why would you let the Darkness inside of you take over when you could have been with the Light?"

"Why, you want to know why? I'll tell you why. All those times when you would tell me how the Darkness was evil and dark. . . I believed you. But. . . I soon figured out that you were wrong. Darkness gives you power. . . the power to do anything. You can do whatever you wish."

"You're wrong!" Sora cut in. "The Darkness doesn't give you power at all! Sure, it gives you the power of destruction and devastation, but nothing else. It's foul. . . And if you really think that it's better than the Light, then you're highly mistaken. I'll show you which is stronger!" Sora held up the Keyblade that he wielded and forced a gleaming, bright ball of light to begin to form at the top of it. He held it out and pointed it directly Lee.

Lee laughed and cocked his head. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to show you what the Light can really do!" The orb of light grew larger and brighter at the end of his Keyblade. "And now, let the Darkness disappear!" Sora shouted, the orb of Light shooting out a bright ray.

Lee let out a scream as the Light coated his body, purging the Darkness around him away. The Light shimmered away and then Lee fell to his knees. His Keyblade dropped at his side and before he could fall to the ground, Eric caught him. He gave him a slight shake. "Lee! Lee!"

Sora walked over and picked his Keyblade off of the ground, exchanging it with Lee's. He sighed, relief coming over him. Walking over to the others, he said, "There. Once he wakes back up, he should be back to his original self. Well, sort of. The Darkness will be gone then. It's still inside his heart, but my Light can only do so much, right?" He managed a smile that turned into a grunt when he remembered his wound. Sora fell to his knees, clutching the bloody hole in his stomach.

"Here, let me heal you." Miranda walked over to him. She made him take his jacket off and then he pulled up his tank top so she could see the wound better. She knelt down next to him and then placed her hand on the wound. Sora flinched when her hand started to glow a light-blue color. He bit his lip.

"It. . . It really stings. . ."

His aunt glanced up at him. "That's only because it's cleaning out the germs. You'll be completely healed in just a minute."

When she pulled her hand away, Sora was shocked to see that not even a scar had been formed where his wound was. There was no trace of it. "Wow. . ." Sora gasped. "You're amazing! But, can I ask, why didn't you just use Curaga?"

"It works, but if the wound's too deep, it could scar over." Miranda held up her hand and let it grow a light-blue color once again. "I came up with this myself. I just think it works better." She stepped over to Sora and ran one of her fingers across the light gash in his side. It was gone almost instantly. "It cleans the wound too so you don't have to worry about any infections."

"Wow. . . You came up with that yourself?" Sora asked, awestruck. "That's amazing! You're awesome!"

"Hey! You guys!" Everyone turned to see Sarah, Savannah, and Sam approaching the scene. Sarah walked up and when she saw Eric hugging the unconscious boy on the ground, she gasped. "Lee!" She quickly ran over to him and then wrapped him into her arms. "What happened to him?"

Sota stepped up to his wife. "He should be fine. Sora just had to fight him. He was threatening us with the Darkness."

Sarah lowered her head. "Lee. . . Why?"

"I wouldn't worry about it though. Sora got rid of the Darkness that was possessing him. He should be fine once he wakes up. The Light just overwhelmed him," Sota explained.

Sarah nodded. "Okay. . ."

Sora made his way over Riku. With each step, his heart fluttered in chest. He couldn't help himself. He broke out into a run and threw himself into Riku's arms. Riku caught him and hugged him tightly, more tightly than he had ever done before.

For a few moments, no words were exchanged. Sora buried his face into Riku's chest and then said, "Promise you won't leave me like that again. When I found out that you were really gone and it wasn't all a dream, I almost lost myself. You were the only reason I had to keep going. I knew that I had to finish what Kiari started."

"Don't worry. . ." Riku smiled down at him. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise. . . But that doesn't mean that you can leave me, all right?"

Sora nodded. "I won't."

The two smiled at each other and then pulled away. "Best friends should never be split apart."

"You got that right," Riku agreed.

The group got together and checked to see if their Keyblades could have been swapped with anyone else's. It turned out that Bardroy had Riku's and Runea had Eric's. The four of them switched their weapons around and then checked to see who else had their Keyblade.

"Only me." Sanji raised his hand semi-high.

"Yo man, ain't that yours Bardroy?" Darren asked, eying the weapon in Sanji's hand.

"No, it's Kira's. But you were close though." The look that Bardroy received from Darren made he and Miranda start to laugh.

Sarah sighed. "So, he has Kira's?"

Sota nodded. "I confirmed that earlier."

"So, looks like we're going to have to find Kira and Joshua again," Bardroy sighed. "Wonderful."

"Yo man, dat ain't wond'ful yo! Them's two suck ass," Darren commented.

"Darren. . ." Bardroy had to try and hold back his grin. "It was sarcasm."

"Before you two start fighting again. . ." Sarah interrupted, "I just want to say shut up. Lee's waking up. The last thing he needs is to see you two bickering."

Bardroy shrugged and Darren muttered a curse or two.

Lee grumbled and then slowly sat up. He rubbed the back of his head and then clutched himself. "Ugh. . . Why do I feel like shit?"

"Lee. . ? Are you okay?" Lee turned to see himself looking into the eyes of a woman who strangely reminded him of himself.

"Um. . . Yeah. . . I'm fine. . ." He blinked a few times. "Mom? Are you. . . My mother. . ?"

Sarah nodded and then hugged her son. "Oh Lee. . . I'm so glad that you remembered. I know that it's been a long time but still, I'm glad that you remembered me. That's my smart boy."

Lee smiled but then his smile turned into a nasty frown once he looked up and saw Sota. "Oh, you. Can't you see we're trying to have a happy moment? Get out of here."

"Excuse me?" Sota frowned back at him. "This isn't the time for your smartass comments."

"Save it, asswipe. Just hearing your voice gets me pissed."

Sarah blinked as she watched Lee get to his feet. She stood up next to him. "Lee. . . Please don't talk to your father that way. . ."

"He's not my father!" Lee snapped. "He never will be."

"Lee. . ." Sarah began gently, "what are you talking about?" She looked up at her husband. "What did you do?"

Sota narrowed his eyes. "Nothing. Lee's just being stubborn again because he doesn't like me."

"It's not that I don't like you" Lee's eyes were full of hatred. "I _hate_ you."

"But why?" Sarah asked, looking from her son to Sota. "Did he do something to you?"

"He never cared for me. . . Not like he did."

"Like who did?" Sarah asked.

Lee didn't reply.

"Answer us." Sota folded his arms. "Tell us right now."

"It's none of your business," Lee spat. "Make me, bastard."

Sota rolled his eyes and muttered some curses while Sarah tried to work out some answers to her son's obvious secrets.

Sora slowly approached his older brother. "I traded Keyblades with you after I knocked you out. Sorry that I had to do that, but, you know, I was just trying to protect everyone."

Lee shook his head. "I should be apologizing. I was just so angry. . . The Darkness took that chance and overtook my body. I'm sorry for causing trouble. But. . . Thanks anyway for giving me my Keyblade. I can go back to the real world now."

Sora nodded. "You're welcome. We're brothers anyway, right? I was just helping you out."

Lee blinked. "I guess we are brothers. We never met, but you seem like a nice boy. I thank you. But. . ." He glanced over at Sanji. "Don't expect me to warm up to _him_."

Sanji gave him a lot of scorn. "I still hate you."

"And I to you."

"So. . . Back to our original problem. . ." Runea glanced over at the Keyblade Sanji held. "That one belongs to Kira. Looks like we're going to have to track her down again."

"We should get moving then," Sora suggested. "The faster we get his Keyblade the faster we can leave."


	5. Chapter 5 - The Last Keyblade

**Day 26**

**The Last Keyblade**

Joshua sat, staring at his Keyblade. He was smiling as he twirled it around his hand.

"Joshua." It was only one word, but Kira's voice came out in a hiss. "Instead of sitting around, glorying over your Keyblade, why don't you get up off your lazy ass and find mine!"

"All right, honey," Joshua replied, standing up. "I will." His sarcasm was sky-rocketing. When he went to walk off, he paused. Kira didn't have to question his hesitance; she could hear the approaching group just as well as he did.

By the time Kira spun around, Bardroy was standing next to her. He pulled the Keyblade she was holding out of her hand and then vanished before she could do anything. He reappeared next to the group he was with. "Here Sanji," he said, handing his oldest nephew the Keyblade. Sanji took the Keyblade and handed his uncle the other one.

Bardroy tossed it over towards Kira. The whole group had decided to just give Kira her Keyblade. "A fair trade."

Kira caught her Keyblade and then smiled. "You know what this means right? We can all go back now."

"Don't be mistaken, Kira," Sarah warned. "Even if you go back to the real world, we can too. We'll track you down and defeat you and your Darkness along with Joshua."

"Try it then!" Kira laughed. "If you want to fight again then be my guest. At least I can finally have the chance to toy with you before I kill you again." She smirked. "It's too bad that Anthony couldn't be here with you. It would be nice to be able to beat him again."

Sora furrowed his brow for a moment and then remembered the man that his mother and father had been friends with. The one who had been killed in the Keyblade War fighting Kira.

"Shut up!" Joshua yelled, turning to his wife. "Don't you ever speak his name again! You don't even deserve to talk about him!"

Kira narrowed her eyes at the silver-blonde. "I was only teasing. You don't have to be so upset."

Joshua was about to say something back to her, but he held his tongue.

"Anyway, I have to thank you for handing my Keyblade over to me." Kira continued, "After twelve long years of searching, finally, I've gotten my Keyblade. Now, I can get back to the real world. Come, Joshua. Let's go." Kira held out her weapon but before she could say or do anything, someone interrupted her.

"Wait!"

Kira paused along with Joshua.

Sora stepped forward. "I want to fight!" His Keyblade appeared in his hand, ready for battle. "Show me what you've got!"

Kira looked over at Joshua, smiling. "Well Joshua, it seems that this boy is smarter than we thought. You decide to pick a fight here so you can escape death's clutches. Kind of cowardly if you ask me."

"Cowardly? I'm not a coward!" Sora yelled, racing after her.

"Sora, wait!" Sarah shouted. "She's very skilled when it comes to combat! Watch out!"

"Sora! Let me help you!" Riku started to run after him, his Keyblade, the Way to Dawn, in his hand.

"No!" Sora shouted back in reply. "If I want to beat Kiari, then I need all the practice I can get! Beating her mother is good for a start!"

The silver-haired seventeen-year-old paused reluctantly and then decided to let Sora fend for himself. "Just be careful. . ."

"Joshua, stand back," Kira directed. "I can handle this myself."

Joshua didn't make any move to stop her. Sora slammed his weapon against Kira's and put more pressure onto her blade. Kira rolled her eyes at Sora's attempt to overpower her. "You can try to overpower me as much as you like. It's not going to do any good. First, no one in this place can die. Second, I don't use my Keyblade in regular combat. In fact, I don't use it at all. Only in a case of an emergency. I use something different, but unfortunately, in order to follow the rules in this world, I must be equipped with a Keyblade. Even if you somehow get lucky and beat me, which has a very low chance, it's because I wasn't even fighting you properly so it wouldn't even cont as a win."

"Like I care!" Sora yelled. "It doesn't matter as long as I beat you!" He quickly slashed at her and she dodged too fast to retaliate. Without hardly any difficulty, she sent Sora to the ground, his Keyblade clattering beside him. She placed the heel of her boot on his head and shoved his face into the dirt.

"And you call yourself a Keyblade Master? Don't make me laugh. You're _weak. _You don't even _deserve_ to wield a Keyblade."

Sora struggled to get onto his hands and knees. "I'm not weak. . . And I'm not a coward either." He shook his head. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing this?! Because of you, Kiari's evil

Kira shook her head. "It's not my fault my spawn turned out wicked just like me. It happens. In fact, I couldn't have asked for a better daughter."

Sora gritted his teeth and balled his fists. "If you ask me. . . You're the ones who don't deserve to wield a Keyblade!" he screamed.

"Big words for such a little brat," Kira laughed. She stepped away from him and held her Keyblade up into the air. "Come Joshua. To my Kavern." She smiled. "And see you soon, _Sota_."

He nodded and then held his Keyblade into the air as she did. A light shimmered around them and Then, in an instant, the both of them vanished into golden sparkles which melted away in the air.

"Where. . . Where'd they go?" Sora asked his father, wide-eyed.

"They went back to the real world," he answered. Then hesitantly, he added, "To declare the Keyblade War on the worlds."

Sora took Sota's extended hand. "W-What. . ? But that means. . ."

"We'll have to prepare for battle once we get back," Bardroy stated. "We all saw that our second chance isn't just a hoax so if Kira and Joshua really headed back to the real world, then we can too. Where else could they have gone?"

"He does have a point," Sam said.

"If they're declaring war on the worlds then we'd better get back and quick," Eric suggested. "We can't just sit here and dilly-dally."

"Eric's right," Lee agreed. "For right now, the best thing is to get back to the real world."

Sora brushed some of the dirt off of his clothes. His eyes were cast towards the ground. "Yeah. Okay. . ."

"So, any specific way to do it?" Savannah questioned. "Just raise our weapons and think of the place you want to be?"

"I guess so," Runea answered. "But, that's the thing. Where _do_ we want to all meet up?"

"How about our house?" Miranda offered. "We have a good amount of space and then we can gather and figure out everything we're doing."

"Okay, that'll work," Sarah nodded. "I guess that we'll all meet there. I don't know if it will necessarily work, but it's worth a try."

Everyone held their Keyblades up and pointed the tip of their weapons towards the sky that lacked Light. Once they faded away into nothing, only two boys still stood in the immortal Keyblade Realm.

Riku looked over to Sora who still had his gaze fixated on the ground. "Sora?" He walked over to him. "Are you okay?"

Sora looked up at him, concern and worry in his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just. . . I couldn't defeat Kira. . . How am I supposed to face Kiari if I can't even beat her mother?" Sora sighed sadly. "I couldn't even put a scratch on her. . . And I think I have what it takes to beat Kiari? Yeah right. . . Kira was right. . . I am weak. . ." Sora clasped both sides of his head and fell to his knees. "It's hopeless. . ."

Riku put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You're strong Sora. We all know you are. Everyone is counting on you. I know that the battle's going to be rough, but there's nothing to worry about. I'll be there to support you. I always will." Riku gently slipped his hand underneath Sora's arm and pulled the younger boy to his feet. He looked into Sora's sad blue eyes and continued, "Please don't cry. . . We're gonna make it through this. I'm here, all right? And I always will be."

Sora wiped tears from his eyes. "Riku. . ." He wrapped his arms around his dear friend. In Riku's arms, he felt safe, completely safe. "Riku. . ?"

"Hmm?"

"I want you to promise me something?"

"What?"

"The Keyblade War. . . It's gonna be rough. . . Just promise me. . . Promise me that you won't die."

Riku's embrace loosened and then he pulled away from the sixteen-year-old. "Sora. . ." he began softly.

Sora took both of Riku's hands in his and cut him off. "Promise me, Riku. Please. Don't. . ." He blinked away tears. "Don't leave me. . ."

Riku started into Sora's eyes. His heart would always seem to beat faster whenever he was around his friend. The Darkness in his heart would shrink away, allowing more Light to take its place. His sorrow would convert into happiness.

Sora was staring up at Riku, another look of worry coming to life on his usually smiling face. "Riku. . . Please ans~"

Riku placed one of his fingers on Sora's lips and the boy went silent immediately. Riku had fought and fought with himself, trying to figure out the battle that had been going on between his heart and emotions. Finally, to him, the pieces came together and everything made sense. He had finally figured out what was happening to him and why he would get the same warm, happy feeling when he would see Sora.

There was nobody else around. The two of them were alone. Riku swallowed and his palms were sweaty. Sora was still looking up at him, his eyes moving from Riku's face to his single finger still resting on his lips.

Riku slowly removed his finger from Sora's soft lips. Biting his own, his mind slid to his many different thoughts. Without even knowing what he was doing himself, Riku started to lean forward. He spoke in an honest, silky tone of voice. "I promise Sora. . . I'll never leave you. . . Because. . . Because well. . . I. . ." Sora's lips were only an inch away. "I. . ."

Riku's actions were enough to show what he was going to say. Sora was frozen at first, but when he had finally come to the realization that Riku was kissing him, relief filled him and he happily began kissing him back. Riku placed his hands on Sora's shoulders to hold him steady so he could deepen the kiss and Sora stood on the tips of his toes to contribute to that.

It was a simple kiss and when the two of them pulled away, they were panting lightly. Sora looked up at Riku, a smile spreading out across his face. Riku smiled back at him, a light blush springing to life on his cheeks.

"Like. . ." Riku's voice sounded a bit shaken. "Like I was saying. . . I won't die Sora. I promise you that I won't."

"And I won't die either," Sora told him. "I promise you that."

Riku nodded. He took Sora's hand in his own. "Um. . . Do you feel. . . the uh. . . The same way I do. . ?"

Sora smiled at him, his face turning red. "I kissed you back, didn't I?"

In return, Riku smirked. "I'm glad that I got that off my chest. . . You don't know how hard that was. . ."

"I do. Believe me, I do."

"So um. . . Well. . . Uh. . . Heh. . ." Riku was rubbing the back of his neck, trying to forget about his blush.

"Riku." Sora smiled at his best friend. "I do feel the same way that you do. . . But. . . We're about to head into a war that needs to be won. We don't have time for distractions. For now. . . I guess. . . Well. . ." Sora's voice fell into a whisper. "We should just keep this a secret."

Riku nodded. "I understand. So uh. . ." His normal, cool composure started to come back. "We should go. . . You know. To your uncle's. They'll be wondering where we are."

"I realized that too. . . Let's go." Sora summoned his Keyblade and then held it in the air. Riku did the same.

As they were about to head back to the real world, Sora took Riku's hand. "You wouldn't have done it, you know."

Riku blinked. "Huh? Done what?"

"Killed me." When Riku raised an eyebrow, Sora laughed. "Come on, don't you remember? When I didn't hand Kiari over to you, you threatened to kill me. You would have never done it."

"Yeah. . . Well, I had to say something, now didn't I?"

"Guess so. Sorry that I didn't believe you."

"It's fine. You were never smart enough to listen to me."

"Hey!"

Riku laughed. "Same old Sora. Promise me something else. When we win this war, don't act different. I want to be the same old Sora when we return to the islands." He gave Sora's hand a squeeze. "I like that Sora."

Sora blushed. "You don't even have to ask me to do that. I'll always be me. But, I promise."

Both boys smiled at each other. "I guess when this war is over, we'll have to sit down and explain everything to each other. I want to know everything you did when I wasn't with you," Sora told him.

"I'll want to know how many stupid things you did without me."

"That's mean, Riku."

Riku couldn't help but to laugh once again. "Come on. We'd better hurry. The others are probably looking for us by now."

"Right."

The two friends looked at each other and smiled. With their fingers intertwined with each others, Sora and Riku held their Keyblades high into the air and then once again felt themselves going in the same fast motion as they had when they arrived at the Keyblade Realm.

The Keyblade War. . . It was approaching and they both knew that they were going to need more comrades in order to survive and if they were willing to win. . .

_To Be Continued. . ._


End file.
